He is Risen. Alleluia.

Please forgive the belated greetings; I have been away from my computer for a while. And although every Christian being must rejoice in Our Lord’s Resurrection and triumph over death, it can only provide us with a brief interlude in our continued struggle to maintain the faith, in this the ongoing Passion of His Church. That Passion was predicted by Christ himself who warned us that if they did this to Him, we would suffer the same fate. He told us we must fill up what is wanting to His Passion (Colossians 1:24). This is a theme I have touched on often. The crosses we are fastened to today are all different, unique to each person, and are reflected in this wonderful quote from St. Francis de Sales:

“The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that he now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His Divine mind, tested with his wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not ne ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God (The Love of God).  Carry this cross, yes. But allow ourselves to be fastened to it? Yet can we really imitate Christ and not allow this to occur? Pope Pius XII wrote in Mediator Dei: “The people must offer themselves as victims… This offering is not in fact confined merely to the liturgical Sacrifice. For the Prince of the Apostles wishes us, as Living Stones built upon Christ the cornerstone, to be able ‘as a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ,’” (I Peter 2: 5).

 Because the Holy Sacrifice has ceased, how else are we able to satisfy in any other way for its loss? If we recite the Mass of St. John, or say our Mass prayers in the absence of the True Mass; if we offer our very selves on this altar of sacrifice willingly and in a spirit of resignation to God’s will each day, isn’t the Sacrifice still renewed spiritually in a continual way? In his The Mystery of Faith, Vol. I, Rev. de la Taille writes concerning chapters 5-16 of Apocalypse: “It is declared plainly that in the New Jerusalem, which is to succeed the Church Militant, there would be neither Temple nor light, except God and the Lamb… Under these sacrificial symbols and metaphors we have an indication of some kind of heavenly and eternal worship,” consisting of Christ’s perpetual immolation eternally offered before the Throne of God. St Gregory Nazianzan wrote: “What then? Will they forbid us their altars? Even so, I know of another altar, and the altars we see now are but a figure of it…All the activities ’round about that altar are spiritual; one ascends to it by contemplation. At this altar I shall stand, upon it I will make immolations pleasing to God, sacrifices, oblations, holocausts, better than those that are offered now…”(Ibid). St. Thomas writes: “The state of the New Law is intermediate between the state of the Old Law…and the state of glory, in which all truth will be fully and perfectly manifested. Then there will be no more sacraments; but now, inasmuch as we see only through a glass darkly, we have to enter into spiritual things through sensible signs.” So either we are being offered a foretaste of life in our Eternal Home, and the Church will eventually be restored; or we are being prepared for the end of the world proper and the commencement of the life to come in a very intimate way. So given the abundance of important truths contained in this site and the alarming changes taking place throughout the world, how do we hold fast to the faith and persevere until the very end?

Your information is difficult to understand

Many have complained that the articles on this site are too hard to read and understand and that no one could be expected to know all these things in these times in order to save their souls. However, much more is expected from us study wise these days when our Church has been eclipsed and the truth has been so savagely attacked and misrepresented. This is especially true seeing that so many know so much about useless political issues and other trivialities, thanks to the Internet, yet cannot be bothered to learn what the Church teaches. Nevertheless, those complaining fail to understand the real purpose of this site and my intention in providing this information. Not everything is for everyone, and what is presented here is primarily intended to be a record of what the Church teaches as a defense against the many lies and heresies spread by both non-Catholics and those falsely presenting as Catholics. It is not something I choose to provide: as a Catholic with the means and the ability to present this information I have an OBLIGATION to do so, and not to do so would be a mortal sin. Rev. Dominic Prummer, in his Handbook of Moral Theology (1957) teaches that we are bound to help those in extreme spiritual necessity even if it poses risks to our own health (#223). I have been told time and again by readers that the information provided here is not available anywhere else, which make me doubly bound to provide it. I also am required by Canon Law to profess my faith whenever silence, subterfuge or manner of acting would indicate that I am accepting an error or heresy publicly taught. I only hope I have covered the majority of such heresies.

But those reading the material need not think they must assimilate it all or grasp it all entirely. It is there for those who have questions about what the Church taught prior to Pope Pius XII’s death, from the standpoint of the continual magisterium, versus what Traditionalists and others SAY She taught or teach themselves. It is intended as a ready reference for disputed points and a testimonial to the constant teaching of the Church. Many subjects relevant to our times are addressed here that have not been examined or explained elsewhere. Those who wish to study it at length privately are welcome to do so, but they are not required to do so. I have urged readers to undertake such study in order to better answer those who question the faith but that is dependent on their level of education, their circumstances and their ability to explain what they read. They can always simply refer people to the site and are encouraged to do this. Please use the search function to locate various topics. The book The Phantom Church in Rome was written to answer many of the more common arguments and explain the gravity of the situation in which we find ourselves. But like the site, it is intended to be more of a reference work than anything else.

That being said, Catholics should remember well what Pope Benedict XIV pronounced over 250 years ago: “We declare that the greater part of those who are damned have brought the calamity on themselves by ignorance of the mysteries of the faith, which they should have known and believed, in order to be united with the elect.”  Here we understand the primary mysteries of the faith presented in the Catechism of the Council of Trent and the Baltimore Catechism # 3 or some other such work — those things all are bound to believe — for not everyone can know or is able to understand many of the finer details. It is enough to believe even that which they cannot understand and leave the rest to those who are more learned. What many today lack is a way of ordering their life that is not dependent on a more detailed understanding of these things, (provided they are well-grounded in basic Catholic belief). What is presented below provides a way they can follow today, in the absence of Mass, Sacraments and priestly directors, although this “way” may not be for everyone. Still, for those who care to adopt it, it offers an easy method for loving God and following Him in our daily lives, and is easily adapted to our current situation.

The Sacrament of the moment

In his Abandonment to Divine Providence, Rev. Jean-Pierre de Caussade instructs those unable to consult a director, a situation we are experiencing ourselves. He begins his work by observing that: “Today God still speaks to us as he used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality.” This was the condition in which Our Lady and St. Joseph, members of “that little band of believers …kept safe from idolatry until the coming of the Messiah” found themselves. Caussade informs us that “The bread which nourished the faith of Mary and Joseph …was the sacrament of the moment.” He goes on to explain that this sacrament consists in accepting everything in our daily lives as God sends it, and at the time and in the manner in which He sends it. He says that God compelled him to write to help those “who seek to be holy and are discouraged by what you have read in the lives of the saints and some books dealing with spiritual matters.” How well this describes us today, who find so little of our own lives comparable to the lives of the saints.

Caussade encourages his readers to faithfully follow inspirations of grace, a very important component of God’s will, but to follow these inspirations only as long as they also are in compliance with God’s will of signification (“Obedience to the Commandments, both divine and ecclesiastical, of obligation for all, because there is question here of THE ABSOLUTE WILL OF GOD WHO HAS MADE SUBMISSION TO THESE ORDINANCES A CONDITION OF SALVATION to advance further”— St. Francis de Sales) and His will of good pleasure (what happens in our daily lives) and our daily duties. He notes that the usual methods of spirituality are neither applicable nor helpful. In fact, he says, these methods actually place obstacles in the way of souls who wish to forge a straight path to God. He does not discourage anyone who wishes to follow other methods from doing so; he simply states that in certain cases and circumstances these methods are more a hindrance than a help. Caussade sympathizes with those “who have done all that is commanded by the strictest theologians…” but still fail to find peace. “[They] are expected to adopt tiresome practices which the Church does not require, and if they do not they are told they are wrong,” but this is not the case, he says.

Those who seek this way have tried many other methods of seeking holiness, he points out, but have failed to find one that can be suitably fitted to their busy and unpredictable lives. Caussade describes the souls he addresses as, “bits of broken pottery” God seems to have flung into some dark corner. He calls them “spiritually and mentally troubled and their everyday lives are full of disappointments.” They need much attention, he says, and are lacking in all those things that distinguished the saints. “They feel all the annihilating anguish of their wretched state…They find nothing but confusion within themselves…They are overwhelmed with shame… Whatever [they] do fills [them] with endless contempt for [them]selves, as if [their] whole lives were flawed and faulty.” To others these “strange sort of saints” appear to be “disobedient, troublesome, contemptuous and angry,” and they “feel this way about [them]selves too,” Caussade notes. But he cautions that we must not become “upset or worried by the humiliations which come from the aspect [we] present to the world.”

He sums up our manner of existence quite well when he writes that we must carry on “without thinking and concerned with no models or examples or any particular mode of spirituality. You must act when it is time for action and stop when it is time to stop. In this self-abandonment you read or put books aside, talk to people or keep silent, write or drop your pen, and never know what will follow.” How often we find it to be exactly as he says. We who are forced to proceed on nothing but faith alone can also understand his meaning in these words: “Let us acknowledge that we are incapable of becoming holy by our own efforts and put our trust in God, who would not have taken away our ability to walk unless He was to carry us in His arms…The light of reason can only deepen the darkness of faith…No matter what troubles, unhappiness, worries, upsets, doubts and needs harass souls who have lost all confidence in their own powers, they can all be overcome by the marvelous hidden and unknown power of the divine action. The more perplexing the situation, the more we can hope for a happy solution. The heart says, ‘All will be well. God has the matter in hand. We need fear nothing.’” These thoughts of Caussade’s are found expressed in the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who told Juan Diego: “Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?”

Caussade uses passages from the Apocalypse to relay to us wisdom that no doubt was reserved especially for those living in the latter days. Thus we find the three keys mentioned in Apoc. 3:7, 9:1 and Luke 11:52; also the key to divine wisdom, (Wis. 8:14) extended to us in his work. Some commentators believe that the Church of Philadelphia related to these keys is the little Church of the remnant living in the end times. “The whole of the Old Testament is only a small diagram showing innumerable and mysterious tracks, and contains nothing but what is necessary to lead us to Jesus. The Holy Ghost has kept everything else hidden among the riches of His wisdom. From all the vast ocean of His activity, He allows only a trickle of water to escape which, after reaching Jesus, is lost in the Apostles and engulfed in the Apocalypse. Thus the rest of the story of the activity of Jesus in the souls of good people until the end of time can be known only by faith.” Caussade talks of the dream King Nebuchadnezzar revealed to Daniel and the interpretation Daniel gave him of his dream. This prophet says it represents the “the image of this world shown to us as a statue…the mystery of evil,” referring this evil to the activities of the “children of darkness, together with the beast coming out of the abyss to war against the interior and spiritual life of man. It is a war that has been going on since time began, and everything that happens in the contemporary world is the continuation of this war, (Apoc. 13:1).

“…Throughout the history of mankind we have been placed on earth as warriors to fight this great spiritual battle in successive ages. Always the enemy is the same. As St. Thomas Aquinas explains, they are beasts precisely because they are not spiritual beings, relying on their base instincts and animal passions rather than God-given reason. Always these monsters arise from the infernal pit and always we must fight them to the death. When we have finished our training here under the tutelage of the Holy Ghost, Caussade notes, then “God allows them to slay the monster. A new monster appears and God summons fresh warriors into the arena. Our life here is a spectacle which makes heaven rejoice, rears up saints and confounds hell. And so all that opposes the rule of God only succeeds in making it more worthy to be adored. All the enemies of justice become its slaves and God builds the heavenly Jerusalem with the fragments of Babylon the destroyed.”

Caussade’s book is short and to the point, perfectly suited to those who are unable to devote much time to study or other spiritual works. This little treatise, if followed faithfully, will help them make the most of the trials and troubles of their daily lives and turn all into a monument to God’s holy will. We need not worry about the future or the past, as St. Therese of Liseux taught — the “evil of the day,” the present moment — is sufficient for us. Let the political waves rage and wash over us, the dire predictions and portents of the end not terrorize us, but let us simply be going about our daily duties for God’s honor and glory when He comes. This is praying and watching at its best, and we can do nothing better than this. Yes, there are some things to consider about all this and we will consider them at length when the study is completed. But if it is not what some expect, simply heed wah Caussade says above: The Holy Ghost has kept everything else hidden among the riches of His wisdom. From all the vast ocean of His activity, He allows only a trickle of water to escape which, after reaching Jesus, is lost in the Apostles and engulfed in the Apocalypse. Thus the rest of the story of the activity of Jesus in the souls of good people until the end of time can be known only by faith.” We shall examine the trickle, but let it not affect our pursuit of the sacrament of the moment.

+Palm Sunday+

I have promised a reader I would provide the necessary resources on preparing for the care and eventual death of loved ones who are Catholic. Having experienced such deaths twice now in a 14-month span I am more conscious than ever of how essential this information is for the faithful. Thankfully I had all the prayers and devotions I needed when the time came, and the suddenness of my grandson’s death spurred me on to find additional resources to answer questions I could not find the answers for, even in my more-than-adequate library. The death of those we love opens a door to the future life that for us was previously closed, and if we are to follow our loved ones there to the best of our ability and maintain those precious relationships, we have no choice but to learn how to successfully make that journey.

When death is anticipated, the best thing we can do is to make our peace with our loved one who is seriously ill or in danger of dying. Praying with them of course is the most important thing we can do. Answering their spiritual questions, if they have any, and sensing and calming their fears is also a comfort to both the dying and their relatives. Praying for them is the best way to prepare them and ourselves for what is approaching and will give the assurance on their death that we have done all we can to help them reach Heaven.

To do this we need the right tools. Fortunately I found nearly everything I needed from one religious goods catalog, and to the best of my knowledge all but one of these resources are still available from that same source, found at https://www.traditionalcatholicpublishing.com (see Sick and Dying/Deceased). The other most important booklet to order is Instructions for the Sick, Dying and Deceased, available from https://canisiusbooks.com/pryrbk.htm. I recommend buying three of these at a time, one for home, one for every woman’s handbag and one for the glove compartment of the car(s).  Death does not just happen in hospitals as everyone knows, and fortunately for me during this time of COVID madness I was able to be with my love one and say the beautiful official prayers of the Church found in this booklet.

Other useful sources I have gathered are unfortunately out of print, but for those who need these works I will be happy to copy them for anyone who asks. One should be read before a loved one dies and this I hope to make available on the site soon. It is entitled, How to Grieve for One’s Dead, and warns of the wrong attitudes and pitfalls of grieving. Works on Purgatory and the joys of Heaven help those left behind learn how to best help their loved ones and prepare themselves for the long-awaited reunion in Heaven. One little work I discovered recently is entitled, My Child Lives, and for those who have lost children (or grandchildren) it is indispensable in helping heal the heartache of those early days when that sweet little face and voice is so noticeably absent.

One of the most consoling devotions, mentioned previously on this blog, is the one to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. As explained before, we the Church Militant live as members of the Mystical Body in close spiritual union with the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant. Works on Purgatory explain that the greatest act of charity one can perform is to pray for the suffering souls, who have so few now to pray for them. This devotion comes most naturally following the death of a loved one who is probably suffering in Purgatory. Such souls so desperately need our prayers and good works to relieve that suffering and obtain their release, when and as soon as God wills. And if a soul prayed for is not in Purgatory, those prayers are used by Our Lady to help other souls in need. We know so much about how life on earth works, what is expected of us and what we must do to stay alive, and so little about what we must do now, while there is yet time, to save our own souls – if we wish to ever join those we love in Paradise. The Poor Souls can no longer ask pardon for their sins or make reparation. We must be their voices. And at the same time, we must do all we can to amend our own lives and do penance, as the world around us grows darker and darker.

Prayer, penance and sacrifice has been the constant refrain echoed by Our Lady in nearly every apparition to children and holy people on earth. I find it very disturbing that so much emphasis is placed on the triumph of the Church and the coming peace so many expect, when this world is so evil beyond all description and so few are making reparation for their own sins and the sins of the world. Such expectations are not only presumptuous but are totally without solid foundation unless such penance is done. It makes no sense to expect peace while sin prevails and there is no public outcry, far less public penance. In the next blog I will explain some of the confusion that exists regarding private revelations and commentaries on the Apocalypse, even regarding the more reliable commentaries and private prophecies. Until then, please pray for the souls of your dearly departed and the souls of Larry and Tristen Benns.

Larry Kent Benns

July 25, 1951-March 1, 2021

A quiet and unassuming man with countless talents and abilities left this life March 1 and will be sorely missed and cherished always by his loving wife and four children.

Larry Kent Benns was born July 25, 1951 in Denver, Colo., the second son of William H. and Maxine D. Benns. He won awards in leather crafting and industrial arts in his high school years at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver and early on showed talent in the auto mechanics field, building racing engines as a hobby. After marrying his high school sweetheart Teresa Stanfill in Denver in 1969, he worked as a millwright at a local foundry and later worked for Monaghan/Hospal Corporation in Littleton, Colo., a manufacturer of medical respirators, as a precision machinist. During a brief stint as a modelmaker he also helped create the prototype for the first artificial kidney in a briefcase. He left the company to serve as a Machinery Repairman second class on the USS Coral Sea (1974 -1975), assisting in the evacuation of Vietnam and participating in the Mayaguez incident. He is a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans.

Following his service in the Navy, he worked at Sterling Stainless Tube in Englewood, Colo., a hypodermic needle manufacturer, from 1977-1984. In 1984 he was hired as a preventive maintenance technician at Golden Aluminum Recycling (a division of Coors) in Ft. Lupton, Colo. supervising the repair of machinery used to manufacture and recycle aluminum cans. In 1991, he was transferred to the new Golden Aluminum rolling mill in San Antonio, Texas (ACX Technologies) as preventive maintenance supervisor. He later trained to serve as a vibration analyst for the company in the field of predictive maintenance and also was the department’s purchasing agent. He traveled nationally and internationally to keep abreast of the latest technology involving aluminum rolling mills and their furnace systems. He retired from the company in March, 1999.

During his working years, Larry dabbled in woodcarving and jewelry making. He also became a skilled blacksmith, studying under Al Morgan who replicated ironwork for the San Antonio missions and taught him the basics of creating Damascus knives. Following his retirement to La Garita, Colo. he built a solar-powered strawbale home, with the help of family and friends, from the ground up. He later added a garage/shop, undertaking amazing wood projects, handcrafting log furniture and creating Monet-style and other paintings, portraying the idyllic scenery of his native Colorado mountains. He also enjoyed collecting and building classic cars. He sold his Colorado property in 2020 to move to South Dakota to be close to his two sons during his final illness.

Larry is survived by his wife of 51 years, Teresa; sons Shane, Eathan, Josiah and daughter Aimee, also his brother Gary. He leaves behind 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren as well as several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a beloved grandson, Tristen Kent Benns.

Larry was laid to rest at St. Anthony of Padua Cemetery in Hoven, S.D. Monday, March 8, 2021.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him; may he rest in peace, amen. may the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. Please pray for the repose of Larry’s soul. 

+St. David+

Sorry about my long absence from this blog. Just know that when I don’t post weekly, family obligations have intervened. I will try to post shorter pieces more frequently when I am able.

I am REALLY tired of all the CCP virus nonsense we keep being fed, including the supposed urgency of receiving a vaccine. I have never been a fan of vaccines from way back, when I received them as a child. They always made me ill and as an adult I stopped receiving them. My kids also would later show adverse reactions. Familial? Could be, but who will do the research to find out? They would rather waste our tax dollars studying how fast catsup drips.

Heard some interesting things on the virus this week. One, a pediatrician commented on Fox News that he hasn’t seen any flu cases at all this year, something he says he finds quite odd. Could it be that the CCP virus was our regular seasonal flu, just a slightly more deadly version? I say slightly because no one is able to positively document just how many people have died from this virus, and we see deaths from the flu every year among the elderly and immuno-compromised. CCP deaths are a mixed bag — reports are that hospitals are paid tax dollars for each death. Where money is concerned, are we going to trust human beings prone to error and often fraud — especially seeing that hospitals are struggling to survive — to accurately report these deaths? You can if you like, but please forgive me if I bow out.

The second curious fact, also reported on Fox News, is that even after grandparents and grandchildren both are vaccinated for the virus, the “experts” still advise them not to mix socially. So why bother with a vaccine at all? Methinks this is not about running any risk of infection, at least not of the medical kind. The “infection” they are worried about is one of ideas — grams and gramps might impart some religious or politically conservative wisdom on the state of affairs today these kiddos just might take to heart. This is social engineering at its most insidious.

Double masks, topped off in some cases by a face shield, when this epidemic is waning anyway? Only a cognitively impaired head of state would be foolish enough to promote and model this behavior. Monkey see, monkey do, and what does that say about you?

Saw an alarming comment about the origins of social distancing. One person observed that in Satanic rituals, satanists wear masks and stand about six feet apart. This is the championing of the power and “godliness” of each individual apart from any group. It is a denial of the Mystical Body in favor of individualism. Sad thing is, the person making this comment was Protestant, and their idea of Christ’s Mystical Body encompasses all religions, the “invisible Church” heresy condemned by Pope Pius XII in Mystici Corporis Christi. The Body of Christ was divided long ago during the Protestant Reformation, and the dire consequences of this division are Liberalism and ultimately Progressivism. The history of this division and its culmination today is presented in the e-book Liberalism’s Shameful Legacy, available on this site.

Catholics are still struggling with the moral dilemma receiving any of the available vaccines entails — we said previously that some could receive it if they were convinced there are no risks that violate morals. However, it appears there are moral questions about all of the vaccines, so people had better be praying and doing their homework. DNA altering material, which reportedly has been used in the manufacture of nearly all the vaccines, is a major concern. When physical or spiritual harm could result, no one is bound to receive them. Here the old, tested rule holds: When in doubt, don’t.

I have often thought, since all this virus business began last year, how totally unChristian the entire approach to disease has become. When the Novus Ordo began de-emphasizing Christ’s Passion and death on the Cross, and overemphasizing his triumph over death with His Resurrection, suffering of any kind lost its value for Novus Ordo attendees. Of course this was entirely bound up in the destruction of the Latin Mass, the very re-enactment of the Passion, and the institution of the Novus Ordo Missae. It is pathetic to see the apprehension in the faces of young Novus Ordo adherents when devotion to the Passion of Christ is mentioned; they consider it macabre and psychologically unhealthy. And yet it is the greatest and most consoling devotion one could ever practice. They must not believe the Scriptures then, when Christ tells us that if we truly wish to follow Him, we must suffer as He suffered. In fact it is precisely those of us suffering in these times who must fill up what is wanting to His Passion.

In her vision of the Trinity at Tuy, Spain in 1929, when Our Lady came to ask for the Consecration of Russia, Lucia dos Santos stated that she was given the grace to understand the Trinity in a supernatural way. This vision, as represented by artists, disassociates the Holy Ghost from Our Lady in any way save that which is taught by the Church. The picture shows God the Father hovering over the head of His Son’s cross, with the Holy Ghost as a Dove emanating rays from the Father’s chest which descend on Christ’s head. From Our Lord’s side issues the Sacred Blood and the water which symbolizes His union with the Mystical Body, the Church. Beneath this stream reposes the Host, suspended above a Chalice, into which the Sacred stream flows.

Under the Chalice stands the Sorrowful Mother, her rosary in her hand. This is much like the vision of the Sacred Species the children saw when the Angel first appeared to them, and the significance is unmistakable. Again the Host and Chalice are suspended in mid-air, but in the later vision of Lucia dos Santos, Our Lady sadly stands beneath the suspended Body and Blood of her Son, as though extending the rosary to her children, while pointing to her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. This positioning and gesture are but further proof that the Holy Sacrifice will be suspended and the faithful will only have recourse to the rosary and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. They must offer themselves as the sacrifice, something Fr. Demaris reminds us we must do in his little treatise written in the 1790s:

“The Holy Eucharist had for you many joys and advantages when you were able to participate in this Sacrament of love, but now you are deprived of it for being defenders of truth and justice. Your advantages are the same, for who would have dared approach this fearsome table if Jesus Christ had not given us a precept, and if the Church, which desires that we fortify ourselves with this Bread of Life, had not invited us to eat It by the voice of its ministers, who reclothed us with a nuptial dress. All was obedience, but if we compare obedience by that which we are deprived of with that which led us there, it will be easy to judge the merit.

“Abraham obeyed in immolating his son, and in not immolating him, but his obedience was greater when he took the sword in his hand than when he returned it to its scabbard. We are obedient in going to Communion, but in holding ourselves from the sacrifice we are immolating ourselves. Quenched of the thirst of justice and depriving ourselves of the Blood of the Lamb which alone can slake it, we sacrifice our own life as much as it is in us to do. The sacrifice of Abraham was for an instant, an angel stopped the knife; ours is daily, every time that we adore with submission the Hand of God that drives us away from His altars, and this sacrifice is voluntary. It is to be advantageously deprived of the Eucharist, to raise the standard of the Cross for the cause of Christ and the glory of His Church.

“Observe, my children, that Jesus, after having given His Body, found no difficulty in dying for us. There is the action of a Christian in the persecutions, the Cross follows on from the Eucharist. Let not the love of the Eucharist drive us away from the Cross. It is to arise and make glorious advance in the grace of the Gospel, to go out from the Cenacle, to go to Calvary. Yes, I have no fear in saying it. When the storm of the malice of men roars against truth and justice, it is more advantageous to the Faithful to suffer for Christ than to participate in His Body by Communion. I seem to hear the Savior saying to us: “Do not be afraid to be separated from My table for the confession of My Name: it is a grace I give you, which is very rare. Repair by this humiliating deprivation that glorifies Me, all the Communions which dishonor me.”

Even those styling themselves Christians these days are anxious to avoid any suffering whatsoever, and generally welcome a vaccine if it would relieve them of the possibility of what for most amounts to an unpleasant respiratory illness. Primarily, it is the aged and already medically vulnerable who experience complications, even death. But then eventually, death comes for us all. Until vaccines became commonplace, mankind suffered through the various maladies that afflicted those on earth, and Catholics offered those sufferings to God in expiation for their sins. Cures were not expected for things on a regular basis.  Minor illnesses were considered a part of life. Today, man must be spared everything, even the discomfort of a hangnail. It is as though these so-called Christians are saying that being gods themselves, they are better than that — greater than Christ Himself. For they should not have to suffer anythingin order to gain heaven, when Christ gave His very life to open Heaven to souls. This includes foregoing Mass and Sacraments when, as Fr. Demaris says, they dishonor Our Lord.

This rejection of all suffering for Christ’s sake contradicts everything we read in Holy Scripture, which teaches that Our Lord:

— Suffered excruciating pains on the Cross to open the Gates of Heaven.

— Warned us we would suffer persecution if we followed Him

— Encouraged us to suffer with Him

— Promised us that those who suffered persecution for justice’s sake would enter Heaven.

During this Lenten season, those piously commemorating Christ’s Passion and death who truly love God must not hesitate to offer up all their worries and concerns to make reparation to Our Lord. This includes the “safety” of vaccines, the danger of contracting the virus itself, the destruction of this country and the inability of receiving the Sacraments and sacramentals. By embracing, rather than shunning, all those little everyday grievances and annoyances we can make some small reparation for the many wounds suffered by Jesus today from those savagely attacking Him. If we cannot even watch one hour with Him, then who?

+St. Peter Nolasco+

“Our Lady of Mercy, ransom the captives, deliver us from all sin and from the bondage of the evil one!”

In these present times, it is difficult to know what exactly to say or do and especially, what to believe regarding the legitimacy of the rulers of this country. There are many false portrayals of events circulating, many individuals and groups who are beginning to reveal, by the scenarios they are promoting, exactly who they are and where they are trying to lead even sincere Catholics. It is a time of diabolical confusion and a prelude to the great dangers now being introduced as this country slides further and further into the Socialist/Communist abyss. Yet Socialism and Communism are only the outer layer of the onion peel, for closer to the core is found the true source of these evils as we were warned by the Roman Pontiffs long ago. These twin evils are the engines of the Secret Societies, used to enslave the masses by those operating at the highest levels of the Illuminati. This can be seen by studying the Masonic pyramid (see https://www.betrayedcatholics.com/articles/a-catholics-course-of-study/traditionalist-heresies-and-errors/papal-teaching-on-church-and-state/the-amazing-secret-behind-freemasonrys-triumph/) and thoughtfully considering all the organizations that lead to Masonry’s triumph.

Many of those among the Traditionalists believe they will see the victory of a holy king and holy pope at this time, but this would be possible only through the working of miracles. Yet the reign of such a king may have been forfeited, and with it the reign of the Holy Pope he was intended to defend. Karl von Habsburg became the emperor of Austria following the assassination of his uncle, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who cast the imperial veto during Pope St. Pius X’s election to prevent the election of Cardinal Mariano Rampolla. JP 2 created Habsburg a beatus, but this is no black mark on his holy life and his efforts to save Christendom. Was he working in league with the Angelic Pastor, the last Pope to be declared a Saint? Pope St. Pius X died in 1914 and Habsburg in 1922 at the age of 31. Both fought the forces of Modernism. Before his death, Pope St. Pius X supposedly told a Habsburg family member that Karl Habsburg, not his uncle Archduke Ferdinand, would be the next emperor, a man “sent from Heaven.” He may have made this statement after being informed by the Belgium seeress, Berthe Petit, that the Archduke would be assassinated. But neither this sainted pontiff nor Emperor Karl would live to fulfill the prophecy so many saintly seers predicted.

Perhaps, had von Habsburg lived into his later years, he would have been the Great Monarch who preserved Hungary from Communism (Karl also was Emperor of Hungary), rescued Cardinal Mindszenty and blew the whistle on the 1958 election as his uncle had done before him in 1903. But it was not to be. Our Lady appeared at Fatima in 1917, just five years before his death. Already the die had been cast and the world was entering the final phase of its downward spiral into Godlessness.

Certain biblical commentators agree that what has come to be known as “the peace of Fatima” will be granted to the Church. Long before Fatima occurred, saints, holy people, and theologians predicted a period of peace as well; and the popes have assured us of Our Lady’s victory, which implies peace. But one question remains unanswered: Our Lady predicated her promise on whether enough Catholics offered sacrifices, prayed the Rosary, and did penance. Can we trust the opinion of those writers who pretend that this promise was absolute rather than contingent upon the devotion manifested by the faithful? Not given what we know today regarding their orthodoxy. So this being the case, could Our Lord simply come suddenly to judge the world without first granting it peace? Given the extent of evil today, the world does not deserve to see the Church restored. While it does seem contrary to all the popes have taught concerning Mary’s triumph and the future of the Church to expect the Second Coming minus this peace, we cannot speculate upon God’s plans for His Church or think we completely understand what private prophecy is telling us.

It is true that we may have forfeited such a restoration by our wickedness. But as Rev. E. S. Berry said in his The Apocalypse of St. John: “Can we admit that a world steeped in paganism and torn with schism and heresy is the only result of Christ’s death on the Cross?” Berry then concludes it better reflects Christ’s glory and the perpetuity of His Church that She be restored rather than have it appear that the Church no longer existed when the world came to an end. As true as this may seem, the Church teaches nothing on this matter; in fact She is notably silent. This is because the secret of the Latter Days is contained in the little sealed book described in Apoc. 10; this could well be the Fatima secret never revealed.  We were not meant to know God’s plans regarding us in these times until they slowly unfold. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. What seems reasonable to us in way of an outcome may not be God’s intention at all. We search the Scriptures and private prophecies, some by the Saints, for answers because nothing, or at least very little, is certain about these times.

One seer out of all the many, however, seems to have given us a better idea of what would happen to the Church, although her predictions sometimes seem to contradict each other. That seer is Marie-Julie Jahenny, the Breton (Nantes, France) mystic and victim soul who was imprinted with an impressive array of the various stigmatas. She was born in 1850 and died in 1941. A survey of the bulk of her prognostications regarding the Church in these times shows that she correctly predicted the two World Wars, Kulturkampf in Germany, and many other events. In 1881 she correctly described in detail the death of Melanie Calvat, the La Salette seeress, who died some 23 years later. Marie-Julie took the clergy to task for failing to spread La Salette, accusing them of actually prohibiting the Secret’s distribution and undermining its urgent warnings, especially where the clergy was concerned. She announced that “a distinct justice” is reserved for those obstructing Our Lady’s messages.

I choose to quote from her works here because in retrospect her prophecies have not received the attention in Traditionalist circles that, for example, those of Anna Catherine Emmerich or other holy people have received. And yet she is closest to our times and has been clearer and more accurate in her predictions than many others. Certainly divine revelation and papal teaching must always override anything in way of private revelations, and private revelations must always be taken with a grain of salt. Other writers may prefer not to quote Marie-Julie because she details at length the three days’ darkness which many now question as an actual event, some believing it refers only spiritually and not actually to the eclipse of the Church in these times. There also is the problem of conflicting revelations, but these may be explained by the fact, as one commentator points out, that Marie-Julie’s ecstasies were written down by several different people, at different times.

Therefore, the discrepancies can be attributed to incorrect transmission due to inadvertence, improper understanding of what was said or intended, actual misrendering of the message in places where it seemed to be too harsh, or did not agree with the understanding of the one recording the ecstasy, or other human errors. And certainly there is always the possibility that one or more of these transcribers were secret “send ins” who deliberately created doubt by their accounts, although this seems unlikely in this particular case. Such may have been the case, however, with one of those recording Anna Catherine Emmerich’s ecstasies, and this fact is even documented by an article in the American Ecclesiastical Review. Another issue is Marie-Julie’s predominant references in her ecstasies to the Great Monarch, which may have been prompted by a purely political (Monarchist) bias, one blemished by its own dangerous ties to secret societies, (unknown to the seer). All this remains to be seen, however, and only time can tell if it is simply a political preference embellished with other medieval era prophecies or has some basis in fact.

A caution here: a more recent “interpretation” of Marie Julie’s prophecies rules out any possibility the Papal See could currently be vacant, or has been vacant for many years, by referring to specific predictions and their timeline. This is to ignore the dogmatic teaching of the Church and give credence instead to a private revelation. These revelations can only confirm what is already known as truths taught by the Church; they cannot be used as a tool to gauge what will happen in the future or what has happened in the past. It is the duty of those studying the faith to first determine what the Church teaches regarding any given subject before taking statements made in any private revelation as valid. This is why we are free to believe them or not believe them, because Catholics must believe only what can be demonstrated as those things we are bound by the Church to believe.

We can take those things predicted by Marie-Julie that we now know to be true as proof of her credibility, and leave other things, such as the three days darkness and Great Monarch, aside for the time being. One thing we do know: nothing in our current time period can be ruled out as too fantastical or too radical, given what we already know and have seen. The three days could easily be manipulated by those New Agers plotting to drastically reduce the population on earth, something God may allow to happen. But the results — that the good, not the bad, would survive — would be totally unintended by the planners. And while the revival of a monarchy in this time of nothing but democracies throughout the world may seem like a longshot, it is the model the Church prefers and on which She is built. Listed below is a summary of some of Marie-Julie’s more pertinent prophecies, taken from various sources.

–  More than once, the seer pronounces “You have been warned!”

– “It must be that this reign of sin ends. Never has the earth and the world been in a similar condition. It must end, (sin and evil) or every soul will be lost!”

– Her beloved confessor, Mgr. Fournier, appeared to her after his death and announced: “Sorrow will extinguish the Church for a certain time and that time is written in Heaven.” Marie- Julie says: “There will be a complete and perfect overthrow of everything… All Church work will stop. There will be complete destruction and death.” The Church will exist “only as a structural organization,” but She will “continue in the Catacombs.” Jesus told her He would “carry away the Church with all her walls and ornaments.”

– Regarding the false Vatican 2 church, she prophesied that Church law would be violated by both priests and the people who follow them.  Most priests and bishops will defect from the faith and the number of the faithful will be “very small… Ministers of God will be the first to apostatize.” In the 1880s Jesus told her: “Disciples not of my Gospel are now working hard to remake according to their ideas and under influence of the enemy of souls a mass that contains words odious in my sight… Religion will remain only in “the lone souls of a few who will be harassed and persecuted.” There will be a “new clergy” and “new mass… new preachers of new sacraments, new baptisms new confraternities… There will not remain any vestige of the Holy Sacrifice.” St. Michael told her Satan would have possession of everything and “all goodness, faith and religion will be buried in the tomb. So why have so few read and taken note of these words written so long go?

Next, we include as whole pages her later words to the faithful, taken from the Marquis de la Franquerie’s Marie-Julie Jahenny, the Breton Stigmatist https://archive.org/details/PropheciesOfMarieJulieJahenny/page/n5/mode/2up):

St. John of the Cross told Marie-Julie: “It is a sure sign that God loves us when He makes us suffer on earth. He who does not suffer, is not the true friend of God. The Lord admits us (into) His grace; thank him. Remember that when we feel the pains of life, we experience His grace. When the Lord begins a work in which He wants His glory to break forth, he surrounds it first with persecutions, the cross, neglect, all kinds of penalties. This is the real charm of the Finger of God. It is necessary that one who is in the friendship of the Lord be tested, that everything in his soul is purified.”

“Under the fury of the storm, what will you do? Wait, pray and do what God wants. Love God with all our heart, faithfully serve God, serve him through the obscurities that are in us, serve despite the darkness where God leaves us and where we need to walk, serve Him all the same. Even when the light of your soul is absolutely extinguished, do not lose heart, go through all the dangers, face the dangers and God will fill you with His grace and His comfort. Who can make us happy on earth, except the peace of God that lives within us, working in us, that prays in us? Without this peace, man becomes like one damned, he runs and precipitates himself into the first gulf that he meets, because it is the devastation inflicted within him by his unregulated passions. Yet this is what happens in many hearts.”

Marie-Julie also was told in her ecstasies: “To keep peace, there is one thing to do, it is to say what God wants, it is to obey the Will of God, it is nothing that can be found in the human creature. It is to be found in God, since He is the Treasure of all… Pray for the Church threatened by a conspiracy hatched by a horrible jealousy of perverted minds banded together to overthrow it. The storm is terrible, but the Church will remain infallible and its walls shall not be shaken. But there will be martyrs … Pray for the Church and ask God for the return of a lost family, a people corrupted, a degraded society. All are our brothers in the Lord. They are souls redeemed at the price of His Blood. Prayer is the only remedy.”

To this can be added nothing more. She has said it all, and it seems that now is the time she foretold and her remedies are those that may help us to endure what lies ahead. Catholic prophecy as a whole is insistent that the only one who can save us from this terrible chastisement is Our Lord Himself, working through His Blessed Mother. Man must do God’s will and obey His law, and God will do the rest. As Marie-Julie said, “When everything seems lost, then will be the time of victory.”