Catholic Origins of Christmas

Well the Christmas season is definitely upon us, and as you can see… once again the media, in their way of not trying to step on anyone’s toes, is promoting their message of “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” We all know why they do this. Of course not everyone is celebrating Christmas at this time. Some are celebrating Hanukkah, and others Kwanzaa. But really… let’s look at this carefully. If you go to any mall, retail store or office building this season you will see Christmas wreaths, Christmas Trees, Christmas Lights, Christmas holly, and Christmas characters like Santa. Not too many menorahs, stars of David or Kwanzaa candles being set out? Yet we still don’t wanna say, “Merry Christmas”. Seems a bit odd to me. Logically if we were going to say “Happy Holidays” and try not to offend anyone who may not be celebrating Christmas… then I would think that our décor would reflect that message. Right? But at the same time, if we did put out menorahs and Kwanzaa candles… our timing would be off. Hanukkah is already over before Christmas Day… and Kwanzaa… well Christmas kinda steals its thunder the day before, and it would be pointless to keep the Kwanzaa decorations out one more day past Christmas for all the 1-5% of the population who actually choose celebrate Kwanzaa.

Basically the point I’m trying to make is that in all true logic, Christmas is what everyone is preparing for, taking vacation for, and decorating for… therefore saying “Merry Christmas” makes a lot more sense than saying “Happy Holidays”.

Now with that being said, we need to also recognize the true origins of Christmas and where it all came from. Obviously the most common understanding of Christmas is that it is a Christian holiday observed by all Christian and “Christian-like” (i.e. Mormans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc… who are actually not Christians because their doctrines on Jesus are completely different than that of Catholic and Protestant ones… but that’s another story). But believe it or not, not even the Protestants can claim Christmas 100%. Let me show you why by highlighting just a few of the most notable Christmas practices.

Santa Claus: Let’s start off with the Jolly ole’ St. Nick himself. Santa, a.k.a St. Nicholas historically was once the Bishop of Myra (Turkey) back in the 300’s AD. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos". However, St. Nicholas had a difficult time during the 16th century Protestant Reformation, which took a dim view of saints. Even though both reformers and counter-reformers tried to stamp out St. Nicholas-related customs, they had very little long-term success. Today’s “Santa” is more commonly pictured as a magical old Elf who lives up at the North Pole with Elves and flying reindeer…  which of course is all fine and dandy, however we must remember his true origins are definitely that of a Catholic Saint.

Christmas Tree: You may have heard already from your know-it-all office coworker that the Christmas tree is actually a pagan practice that was adopted by Christians. Well, let me clear that up a bit. It is true that the Roman Pagans did worship trees at one point in time. However the origin of the Christmas tree comes from the medieval mystery and miracle plays, and in particular from the Tree of Good and Evil in the earthly Paradise.

These plays were first performed in the late Middle Ages and their purpose was to teach religion. As a rule, these religious plays were enacted for the celebration of an episode or of the saint whom they featured, and they became popular throughout Europe. A famous play was the performance put on for Christmas, celebrated on December 25th.

On Christmas Eve, Adam and Eve would be commemorated with the highly popular episode of the Garden of Eden; they would tower on the stage together with the Devil, disguised as a serpent, Eve picking an apple and Adam eating it. Original sin, amended by Jesus born on the 25th, was symbolized on the night of December 24th. The tree ought to have been an apple tree, but since an apple tree would have been inappropriate in winter, a fir tree was set on the stage and some apples put on its branches to symbolize the future coming of Redemption. And the lights on the tree were used to symbolize the genealogy of Christ stemming down from Adam.

When Catholics were under persecution in Europe, the Paradise plays were moved indoors and practice of the Christmas Tree was born.

Christmas Lights: The practice of hanging Christmas Lights in windows started in Ireland during the time when Catholics were being persecuted and Mass was forbidden. Catholics would then place candles in their windows to signify to Priests that their house was a safe place for them to come and say Christmas Mass in.

12 Days of Christmas: We’ve all heard the traditional Christmas carol, “The 12 Days of Christmas.” It’s origin goes directly back to Catholic history. Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law — private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

The other symbols mean the following:

Two (2) Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

Three (3) French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

Four (4) Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

Five (5) Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

Six (6) Geese A-laying = the six days of creation

Seven (7) Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

Eight (8) Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes

Nine (9) Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Ten (10) Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments

Eleven (11) Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles

Twelve (12) Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

These are but a few of the most noteworthy practices of Christmas that have Catholic origins. But let us also remember the true reason for the season is the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who started the Roman Catholic Church in 33 A.D. Not trying to be controversial, just stating the facts.

Merry Christmas!

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!

 

For more interesting facts on the Catholic origin to pretty much everything, read "Why Do Catholics Eat Fish On Fridays".

Visions of Garabandal

It was in 1963 that a man by the name of Joey Lomangino who had been cured previously by St. Padre Pio, went to see him again with a big question he had weighing on his heart. A friend of Joey's was interested in visiting the town of Garabandal, Spain to visit a group of four girls who had been reported of seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Joey knew nothing of them and, besides he only wanted to stay at San Giovanni where he could be near Padre Pio. Joey persuaded his friend to put the matter before Padre Pio and accept whatever the Padre Pio would say. Joey asked the question:
“Father is it true that the Virgin Mary is appearing to four girls in Spain?”

The answer was simply: “Yes.”

But Joey still wanted an out, and so he asked:

“Father, should we go to Garabandal?”

The answer again was simply: “Yes.”

And so with the assurance that these apparitions were of God, and following the instructions of Padre Pio, Joey Lomangino went to Garabandal. So what is it that is in Garabandal? And what is it's story?

The Garabandal apparitions were apparitions of Saint Michael the Archangel and the Blessed Virgin Mary that are claimed to have occurred from 1961 to 1965 to four young schoolgirls in the rural village of San Sebastián de Garabandal in Northern Spain. The visitations numbered in the thousands, drew huge crowds, and featured supposed paranormal phenomena, much of it filmed or photographed, with thousands of witnesses. The women receiving the visions were Mari Loli Mazón , Jacinta González, Mari Cruz González  and Conchita González.

The Virgin Mary in this series of claimed visitations is often referred to as "Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Garabandal", because her appearance and dress looked like portrayals of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

According to the visionaries, the purpose of the visitations was to call for a "conversion of heart". The visionaries reported receiving two 'messages', one directly from the Blessed Virgin Mary and the other from the Virgin Mary by way of Saint Michael the Archangel. The first, revealed on October 18, 1961, states:

We must make many sacrifices, perform much penance, and visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently. But first, we must lead good lives. If we do not, a chastisement will befall us. The cup is already filling up, and if we do not change, a very great chastisement will come upon us.

The June 18, 1965 apparition, in which Conchita heard the second message, was televised live by Spanish television. Only Conchita González, regarded by most devotees of Garabandal as the "principal visionary", reported receiving the second "message":

As my Message of the 18th of October has not been complied with, and as it has not been made known to the world, I am telling you that this is the last one. Previously, the Cup was filling; now, it is brimming over. Many priests are following the road to perdition, and with them they are taking many more souls. Ever less importance is being given to the Holy Eucharist. We should turn the wrath of God away from us by our own efforts. If you ask His forgiveness with a sincere heart. He will pardon you. I, your Mother, through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, wish to tell you that you should make amends. You are now being given the last warnings. I love you very much, and I do not want your condemnation. Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus.

The second message caused particular controversy when it was revealed that Conchita had actually written "many cardinals, many bishops and many priests are following the road to perdition." She was asked many times to verify this information. The young women stated many times that Mary stressed the importance of the priesthood, and focused attention on priests above other witnesses at the apparitions.

What is also interesting about this message and the series of visions is that it directly correlates with the occurrences in the Church at the time with Vatican II. Was our Blessed Mother warning us that the events of Vatican II would lead to many priests on the road to perdition? Indeed, there is a significance to the timing of these apparitions.

Along with this message at Garabandal, Our Lady also gave to them a Papal Prophecy stating that after Pope John XXIII there will be three more popes and then it will be the end of our times but not the end of the world.  According to the prophecy then, the death of the third pope, John Paul II, signalled a line of demarcation, and we are now in the phase that leads up to the great prophesied events and the end of our times. For many this is unconvincing since we now have had five popes with the election of Pope Francis. But there is something we must consider which lends credibility  to the prophecy and that is the accuracy with which Conchita described the popes after John XXIII. On the day Bl. Pope John XXIII died, Eloisa de la Roza Velard said to Conchita, "Maybe the next pope will not continue the Council?" But Conchita replied emphatically that another pope will continue the Council. This of course, was Pope Paul VI. Conchita told Mother Maria Nieves Garcia, M.M.C., Superior of the school in Burgos, that one of the popes to come would have a very short reign. (Pope John Paul l reigned for 33 days.) Conchita also told Mother Nieves, the pope that follows will be of the same name and will be a great lover of the Virgin. This clearly refers to Bl. Pope John Paul II. This confirms that Conchita's words were true and that each pope she described fulfilled the truth of the overall prophecy, to which there is still more.

But what about Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis, how do they fit in all this? If Conchita was told about all the above mentioned popes, she must know about them as well but has declined to say anything publicly. Fr. Eusebio Garcia de Pesquera, author of "She Went In Haste to the Mountain", had in his possession for his book, a lengthy interview which Fr. Materne Laffineur conducted with Conchita in 1966, but he did not publish everything and said some of it was not for now. Perhaps it dealt with this subject.

It is also possible that what is referred to in the prophecy of the three popes, is that they mark the end of one time and the first of another (end?) “time” and the threshold of the great prophesied events. Therefore, was Pope Benedict's resignation caused by a supernatural calling from above for another Pope to come and make ready the Church for future prophecies to come true? What future prophesied events am I referring to?

Besides the two "messages", the visionaries forecast a "warning", a "miracle" and a "punishment" (if people do not correct their ways). The warning is described as a momentary stopping of time around the world, and people see the spiritual condition of their souls, and how they should amend their ways. Within a year of the warning, a miracle will take place. The miracle will leave a permanent sign in Garabandal, which can be seen, televised and photographed, but no one will be able to touch it. It will be a clear sign of God and not something that could be speculated to be "man-made".

It is definitely clear as I have mentioned before in many of my other posts, that we are in a time when something BIG is going to happen. And happen very soon! For it is said that Conchita herself will announce to the world that the event is about to happen 8 days before. Conchita is currently 64 years old.

But again I must tell you all not to worry, and not to be afraid. As Our Lady said in her message to the four girls of Garabandal, "I love you very much, and I do not want your condemnation. Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus."

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!

Is Halloween Dangerous?

As Halloween is quickly approaching, my wife and I have continued to talk about this day and whether or not it’s a day worth celebrating in our home. We’ve all heard the allegations: Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, they will be worshiping the Devil and pagan gods.

Yet like most kids, when my wife and I were little, we loved the idea of Halloween and dressing up as our favorite characters, going door-to-door with our parents to get candy! It wasn’t about the demonic for us, rather it was about getting candy in funny costumes! Yet over the years, my wife and I both had our share of boycotting the day as we learned about the evil practices that also 'haunt' this day. But is it really just an pagan holiday fueled by the Devil to get people to (unknowingly) worship the Devil and all things dead and demonic? What are the real origins of Halloween? And is it really a decisive holiday of the Devil?

First, lets look at the true origins of this holiday. Halloween is, in fact, very Christian and rather American holiday. The day itself falls on October 31 because of a pope, and its observances are the result of medieval Catholic piety.

It’s true that the ancient Celts of Ireland and Britain celebrated a minor festival on October 31–as they did on the last day of most other months of the year. However, Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Solemnity of All Saints, or “All Hallows,” falls on November 1. The feast in honor of all the saints in Heaven used to be celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved it to November 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. And so the holy day spread to Ireland.

The day before was the feast’s evening vigil, “All Hallows Eve,” or “Hallowe’en.” In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in southern France, added a celebration on November 2. This was a day of prayer for the souls of all the faithful departed. This feast, called All Souls Day, spread from France to the rest of Europe.

Since now the Church had feasts for all those in Heaven and all those in Purgatory. What about those in the other place? It seems Irish Catholic peasants wondered about the unfortunate souls in Hell, and figured if they didn’t get a holiday, then they might be unhappy enough to cause trouble. So it became customary to bang pots and pans on All Hallows Eve to let the damned know they were not forgotten. Thus, in Ireland at least, all the dead came to be remembered–even if the clergy were not terribly sympathetic to Halloween and never allowed “All Damned Day” into the church calendar.

But if you notice, banging pots and letting those in Hell that they aren’t forgotten is really not what Halloween is all about? Instead, we run around in goofy costumes and ask for candy! This custom of dressing up arose in France during the 14th and 15th centuries. When late medieval Europe was hit by repeated outbreaks of the bubonic plague, it lost about half its population. Of course with this kind of epidemic going around, Catholics became more concerned about the afterlife.

More Masses were said on All Souls Day, and artistic images were created to remind everyone of their own mortality. Some of these included the image of the “danse macabre”, or “dance of death,” which was commonly painted on the walls of cemeteries, showing the Devil leading a line of people–popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc.–into the tomb. It soon became customary to host this dance on All Souls Day itself with a reenactment of people dressed up in the garb of various states of life.

But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Halloween; and the Irish, who had Halloween, did not dress up. How the two became mingled probably happened first in the British colonies of North America during the 1700s, when Irish and French Catholics began to intermarry. The Irish focus on Hell gave the French masquerades an even more ghoulish twist.

But where on earth did “trick or treat” come in? ”Treat or treat” is perhaps the oddest and most American addition to Halloween and is the unwilling contribution of English Catholics.
During the penal period of the 1500s to the 1700s in England, Catholics had no legal rights. They could not hold office and were subject to fines, jail and heavy taxes. It was a capital offense to say Mass, and hundreds of priests were martyred.

Occasionally, English Catholics resisted. One of the most popular acts of resistance was a plot to blow up the Protestant King James I and his Parliament with gunpowder. This was supposed to trigger a Catholic uprising against the oppressors. Yet the ill-conceived Gunpowder Plot was foiled on November 5, 1605, when the man guarding the gunpowder named Guy Fawkes, was captured and arrested. He was hanged and the plot was terminated.

However, on November 5, Guy Fawkes Day, became a great celebration in England, and so it remains. During the penal periods, bands of revelers would put on masks and visit local Catholics in the dead of night, demanding beer and cakes for their celebration: trick or treat!

So when Guy Fawkes Day arrived in the American colonies with the first English settlers, Guy Fawkes had pretty much been forgotten. Yet trick or treat, though, was too much fun to give up, so eventually it moved to October 31, the day of the Irish-French masquerade. And in America, trick or treat wasn’t limited to just Catholics.

All-in-all, Halloween in and of itself is really a mixture of various immigrant traditions that pretty much all came together in the United States to form what we commonly practice each year. As for the other elements of Halloween like witches and jack-o’ lanterns; they were added in later help the greeting card industry and promote the more ghoulish commercial side of Halloween.

So its very clear that the holiday has more Christian origins to its beginning than pagan, but does that mean that it is okay for every Catholic to go out and dress-up like a scary vampire, ghost or zombie every year? Let alone, is it even okay for a Catholic to celebrate such a day?



There have obviously been some growing trends and themes over the years that have begun to turn this day into more of a demonic celebration than a day to prepare for the Holy Day to come the next morning. This growing trend has even caught the attention of the Vatican, which put out a statement to Catholics in 2011 that Halloween is becoming “anti-Christian and dangerous.”



The condemnation followed criticism from Catholic bishops who also urged parents not to let their children dress up as ghosts and goblins. It was also stated in an article entitled “The Dangerous Messages of Halloween”, the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano saying: “Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.” The article went on to urge parents “to be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death”. 



Another Catholic group, the influential Association of Pope John XXIII, joined the condemnation, calling it a “great Satanic ritual”. It said: “We appeal to the whole Catholic community not to promote this recourse to the macabre and the horrific. All parents and all those that hold the values of life dear should know that Halloween is an adoration of Satan, which is carried out underhand through parties and games for children and adults.”



The Catholic Church in Italy has taken a dim view of Halloween celebrations for years. The head of the Catholic Church's anti-occult and sect unit, Aldo Bonaiuto, also warned parents of the dangers to children and said the event “promotes the culture of death”. He added: “Halloween pushes new generations towards a mentality of esoteric magic and it attacks sacred and spiritual values through a devious initiation to the art and images of the occult. At best, it gives a big helping hand to consumerism and materialism.”

It is clear as the Church points out, that Halloween has become a holiday that promotes practices of the occult, and glorifies the culture of death, which is so true when we see the popularity of vampires and zombies growing. It is also true how this holiday now has also boosted consumerism and materialism in the world! It is said that next to Christmas, Halloween sells the most collectible in the world. I would venture to say, as Satan is often called the “great ape of God” taking what God has done and often perversely mirroring it in his own evil and demonic way; he could be also adopting this holiday to make it his own anti-Christmas.



My suggestion to counter this day and its demonic practices is, as the Vatican urges, to celebrate it in the same way any vigil before a feast is celebrated, with prayer! And if you choose to dress up or hold a party, dress up as your favorite saint, angel or biblical character and go to an “All Saints Party”! There will be plenty of goodies there to satisfy any sweet tooth!



Bottom line, celebrate the Holy Ones! Not the damned ones! Make Heavenly noise to remind the damned not that they aren’t forgotten, but rather that they aren’t welcome on this vigil of All Saints!

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!

I Saw A Great Darkness

Recently my attention was drawn to an interesting passage was posted by a parishioner of my Church on Facebook from the visions of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, whose now famous (and fascinating) book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the inspiration for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and one of the absolute best sources of Lenten meditation you can lay hands on.

The article she posted highlighted these points from her vision:

“I saw also the relationship between two popes … I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city of Rome. The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness…

“I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps.”

“I see the Holy Father in great anguish. He lives in a palace other than before and he admits only a limited number of friends near him. I fear that the Holy Father will suffer many more trials before he dies.

“I see that the false Church of darkness is making progress and I see the dreadful influence it has on the people. The Holy Father and the Church are verily in so great a distress that one must implore God night and day…”

Here are my thoughts on this for it is very intriguing to me. For one I must say that after Pope Benedict made his announcement to retire, many… even myself, said this is the chance for our next Holy Father to really take hold of the spiritual divide in the Church between conservative/traditionalists and liberal/modernists and clear some things up. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were already making headway in answering the big questions of the times with clear answers. But now it was time for a new Holy Father to come out and really step on some toes! I my reaction to the lightening striking St. Peter’s dome twice signified something big was about to happen.

Then the doors opened and Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony. I fell in love with him, despite the fact he was a Jesuit. But I felt good about his humility and desire for the world to return to prayer. In his first homily as Pope, he preached against following worldliness, or else we would be preaching the way of the Devil.

He was beginning to make waves… until in his good will he began to act like more like a simple Bishop than the Pope. Yes of course, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome… but he is also the Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

I still love our Holy Father, Pope Francis… yet I still have yet to see him continue the momentum that Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul started. Instead he seems to focus on more of the basics of being a Christian; love your neighbor; take care of the poor; love your enemies… all good things to know and practice… but not what we need right now in this time of confusion and divide amongst all the political jargon. We need clear-cut answers. Definitive movements of a renewal of faith and devotion in the world. And not open-ended vague answers that leave the press enough meat to build a sandwich of more confusion and lies about the Church for us to feed on.

Given, I know our Holy Father means well in all that he does, and doesn’t intend for his comments and actions to be misinterpreted by the media. But I only pray for him that he begins to realize, if he really wants to “rebuild the Church” as St. Francis was told to do by God… then he needs to get out his hammer and start pounding in the nails of penance, devotion, and sacrifice into the hearts of all ungrateful mankind.

Now with that being said, does what Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich saw in her vision relate to this time of “great darkness” in the Church that she saw? Are we in darkness? One thing is for sure, and that is the fact that we are beginning to “split into two camps”, the conservative/traditionalists and the liberal/modernists.

One side thinks it needs to be more reverent to Our Lord and follow practices of penance, sacrifice and piety. The other thinks the faith needs to be more progressive, worldly and fun, so that all will join and see that Jesus is more of our “buddy” than a just judge ready to smite you for your sins. But is this idealism that has sprung forth from Vatican II the “false Church of darkness” that she speaks of? And why call it the “false Church”? Clearly she doesn’t mean what many Sedevacantists would like to think she means by saying that the Church of Christ no longer exists in Rome anymore because (as they believe), the Chair of Peter has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius X, therefore those of us who follow this Vatican II Church are apart of a “false Church”?

No, I believe what she is meaning by “false Church” does not have to do with the Pope, but rather the fact on how the Church has been conducting herself since Vatican II. That may in fact be the “false Church” she is referring too; a Church that has lost its original zeal.

All-in-all, does this mean that she is speaking of the Church of today and of Pope Francis? Maybe… maybe not? Regardless it should cause a lot of us to “implore God night and day…” and especially pray for our Holy Father.

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!

Hell is for Real!

A while back I posted about Purgatory and its reality after death. In this article today I want to talk about Hell and it's reality since in todays way of thinking, many seem to believe that there is some universal salvation system in which everyone is going to Heaven. This is not true, nor does the Church teach this as true. Hell is a real place and if you die in the state of mortal sin, you will go to Hell. St. Teresa of Avila tells us how God showed her her place in Hell indicating that without God's grace and without us following and cooperating with His will during our time on Earth, that there is a place for all of us waiting in Hell. So this idea that all are saved, is not always the case.

Hell by definition is the place were souls are sent for all eternity because during their life on Earth, they choose a life without God… And therefore that's what they got. What we can also know about the sufferings of Hell, we can know from our own nature and from justice. Since with God the punishment fits the crime. Which means that in different levels of Hell people suffer differently based upon the particular crimes they committed on Earth. In this life the amount of suffering we can withstand is based upon the limitations of the flesh. Not so however in Hell. In Hell we are incorruptible and therefore the sufferings are even more intense, and not to mention… They are forever. So when we consider the nature of man, we can consider the different ways in which man can suffer. One of those ways is with the sense of touch, and with touch comes the sense of pressure and temperature. The saints tell us how in Hell there is a great feeling of pressure; of being pinned, crushed or trapped and unable to escape. There is also the feeling of burning in Hell, not just exteriorly, but throughout the whole body. There even some places in Hell that the saints say that it is freezing cold, and so the souls of the damned will go from the burning to the freezing. Yet when they enter into the cold, they freeze and so they find that they can never find relief. 

Then there is sense of taste. If you can imagine drinking the foulest sewer water, this is nothing compared to what your sense of taste will experience in Hell. In the case of the sense of smell, the saints often describe the smell sulfur and brimstone existing in Hell. With sight, those who are in Hell see all the others who are suffering in Hell, as well as Devil and all his demons. Therefore you see the entire horror of Hell. There will also be a great darkness in Hell, since light is a gift from God, and therefore it doesn't exist in Hell.

Besides the suffering of all your exterior senses, the there is also the discussion of the interior senses that will suffer as well. The first of these is the common sense, which helps to bring order all the senses. In Hell, your common sense will go away and therefore all the senses will come at once causing great confusion. Also you will not be able to control your imagination. On Earth we have the ability to control our imagination to some degree, but in Hell it will be uncontrollable and we will be face with the images of horrific things. It is also said that in Hell, the Devil and his demons, along with some of even the damned will be able to play with your imagination and forcibly cause you to see even more horrific things that we would never be able to comprehend in this life. We will have a great anger at God and those who caused us or helped us to end up in Hell, and there will be a great despair in knowing we can never be saved.

Hell is nothing to joke about. It is a real place and we all have the opportunity of ending up there if we do not seek the help and grace of God in this life. Believing that one will be saved just for being a good person is foolish. There is even a story of St. Bruno in which a horrible event took place at Paris before he left the city. A Doctor, who had always been considered very learned and at the same time very pious, died. His death seemed a very happy one, as it followed soon after his having received the holy Sacraments. But when the corpse was brought to the church, for the funeral ceremonies and the usual prayers, behold! the dead man arose during the Office of the Dead, to the great horror of all present, and cried, with a terrible voice: " The Justice of God has accused me! " On the second day, when the clergy had reached the same lesson in the Office, the body again moved, and cried in the same fearful tones: " The Justice of God has rejected me!" On the third day, the same happened : the dead sitting up, cried with a still more awful voice: "The Justice of God has condemned me!" The feelings of all present may easily be imagined. There was not one among them who did not turn pale, and all left the Church in fear and trembling.

Again the moral of this story is to remember that our salvation is not guaranteed! We must strive always to do God's will, receive the Sacraments, do good to our neighbors and always live piously. 

God love you all! Pray the Rosary Daily!

Reverence at Mass

For anyone who has ever been to a Latin Mass, most will quickly notice how much reverence is given not only by the Priests, Deacons and servers, but also the laity. Now I must also say that there are many Masses even in the Norvus Ordo (aka: English Masses) that are also very reverent, and that is such a breath of fresh air to see in a world that has been so lost in the secularization of everything. Yet at the same time there are unfortunately a majority of Norvus Ordo Masses that have fallen into Liturgical Abuses. Having the Holy Mass said in ways and forms that have in the end caused people to view the Mass as a form of entertainment, over something holy and spiritual. Because of these abuses, many have become lost in what is the appropriate practices in the Mass? What is the right way of decorum when you are standing before Christ in the tabernacle?

Let's go through the Mass step by step:

1. When you arrive at Mass you must remember that you are truly in the presence of Almighty God. Present with you are all the choirs of Angels in Heaven along with all the Saint and our loved ones who have gone before us. In His present as it is said, "Every knee shall bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." Therefore if you are in the presence of Almighty God, you must act accordingly, for you are in the presence of the King of Kings! Clothing should be proper, and modest. No bare shoulders, short skirts, low-cut dresses or jeans. No tennis shoes, sandals or flip flops. I don't know who ever came up with the phrase, "Well if Jesus wore sandals, then so can I." I don't think so. Jesus lived in a time in which sandals were the only appropriate form for footwear… Now we have such thing as formal shoes and dress-ware and therefore we should honor our Lord by dressing in our "Sunday best"! It's a shame when even our Protestant brothers & sisters are dressing better than us for church.
2. Whenever we enter into the sanctuary we must genuflect to our Lord in the tabernacle. Again, "Every knee shall bend, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." It breaks my heart whenever I see someone bowing to the altar and completely turning their back to the tabernacle. Especially when in some churches the Tabernacle is placed in the back of a church. Which according to canon law, "The tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved is to be situated in some part of the church or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer." We should not be putting Our Lord in the back of the Church, He should always be front and center. Whenever we pass by the tabernacle in the church we must always genuflect/bow to Our Lord who is fully present there. And if He is exposed for Benediction, a double genuflection is most appropriate! (A double genuflection is when you go down on both knees and bow to Our Lord.) Yet of course if you are unable to due to medical complications, that is okay.
3. Music in the Church should always be reverent and not distracting during the Holy Mass. The use of trumpets, guitars, and drums does not maintain the sacred silence and peace during Mass. Gentle hymns and light piano or organ music is good for keeping the mind in harmony with the sacredness of the Mass and helps to maintain constant prayer and reverence during even the consecration. There should also never be any clapping during the Mass. This can also be another form of distraction.
4. During the "Our Father" we have become accustomed to holding hands in America. I don't know who ever started this practice, but since the time it started, it has become more of a distraction than an uplifting spiritual union of people praying together, and to me seems to have more Protestant roots than Catholic. The same goes for the sign of peace, which in the Latin Mass is only exchanged between the clergy. This suddenly can also become a distraction during Mass, as for some it even turns into a social event in the midst of the Consecration. Instead, when engaging in the sign of peace in the Norvus Ordo Mass, maintain your composer to give one the sign of peace without giving into stretching over the pews to shake someones hand, or hollering across the church to a dear friend. I would also venture to say that giving the “peace sign” to someone sitting far away is not appropriate either for during Mass.
5. In the Latin Mass, the reception of Holy Communion is done on the tongue while kneeling. As it has been made aware to those of us, none of the laity should touch Our Lord since our hands are not consecrated, only the Priest's hands are. Therefore it is more reverent to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist on the tongue, rather than in the hand. Our hands are unclean, and at times have caused us to sin… Therefore we should not allow our hands to touch our most pure and Holy Lord. Even the Priest who is guilty of sin as well, goes through a series of cleansing prayers and even washes his hands to make himself worthy enough to touch Our Lord during the consecration. We must also make note that the use of Extraordinary Ministers is only for the purpose of times when there aren't enough Priests or Deacons to distribute Holy Communion. Otherwise EME's are not necessary at every Mass.
6. After the reception of Holy Communion, we have often become accustomed to making the sign of the cross as we walk back to our pew. This is a practice that, as reverent as it is, is not actually necessary. When we receive Our Lord in the Eucharist we are receiving the greatest blessing we could ever receive. Therefore, the act of blessing ourselves again is not required. Rather it is more important to walk back to our pews as individual tabernacles of Our Lord. Our hands should be folded in prayer and not at our side or folded over our chests. Our eyes need to be focused in prayer, and not wandering around to see what others are doing around us. And when we arrive back in our pews be must make a proper act of thanksgiving to Our Lord
7. Towards the end of Mass we should not leave until the priest has left. It was often reminded to me that those who leave after communion are only repeating what Judas did at the Last Supper. And most of all at the end of Mass, there should be no clapping. The Mass is not a show… It’s the greatest form of prayer that could ever be said.

If you were unaware of these reverent practices before, don't worry. But now you know. And don't think, "Well these are practices are only for those who attend the Latin.” One of the purposes of Pope Benedict’s Motto Proprio, Summarium Pontificum, was to allow Ordinary Form Roman Rite to learn from the Extraordinary Rite and adopt certain practices of reverence, and prayer that were at one time before Vatican II, common place in every Catholic Church. It is important to often look at these rubrics practiced in the Latin Mass and also question why they are no longer practiced in the Norvus Ordo Masses. You might be surprised to learn that the reasons for the change aren’t found in the documents of Vatican II.

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!

Roman Pantheon, American Pantheon

Where is God? Part 2

I recently stumbled across a video of Richard Dawkins going toe-to-toe answering questions on God, evolution and the purpose of life with Cardinal George Pell of Sidney, Australia. The show was quite entertaining, yet at the same time very troubling. And I have included the video in the end of this post for you to view if you wish. It is clear that Richard Dawkins is truly a very lost individual when it comes to any discussion on God. And it is clear that his atheistic and scientific understandings of this world have blinded him to any spiritual realities.

What also surprised me was that all the questions he answered in a very one dimensional kind of way. Basically it would appear that his understanding goes as far as to believe that if scientifically it couldn't happen… Then its impossible. To which I would have posed the questions I did in my last post on "Where is God?" on how would he go about explaining miracles? And I'm not talking about miracles in which we pray for a loved one to recover from an illness and they miraculously recover faster than normal. I'm talking about miracles that are shocking, and that science can't explain. Miracles like people who have been blind, suddenly being able to see… Yet they don't have pupils. Or bodies of individuals that don't decay? Or even people who have lost body parts, miraculously have them returned to them out of the blue, and in perfect working condition, like the man that St. Padre Pio healed who was with an eye, and got it back! How would Richard Dawkins explain that? How would any atheist explain that?

Another troubling topic for me when watching this video was when the Cardinal was asked if we all came from apes. He hesitated for a while and tried to answer the question in a round about way to include the fact that God ultimately created the first humans. But eventually agreed that it was possible that we could have evolved from apes. I find trouble with this personally, because from my understanding, there really is no connection between us an apes besides the fact that their make-up is very similar to ours. Yet the make-up of a Lion and a Tiger is the same as well, and they can have baby Ligers. Same with a horse and a donkey who can have mules, or a wolf and a dog who can have pups. But there is something that truly separates us from apes and physically does not make us, "cousins". I wish the Cardinal would have been a little more clear about that.

Finally another issue that Richard Dawkins tried to pin the Cardinal to the wall on, was the issue of the resurrection of the body and the Eucharist. And this is the way I would have responded.

Dawkins: ...The brain is what we do our thinking with, the brain is going to rot. That's all there is to it. I'm intrigued how the Christians say that we are going to be resurrected... in the body? I mean, that's… an astonishing idea and I don't think you really mean that. Just as I believe that you don't really mean that the wafer turns into the Body of Christ. You must mean body in some special kind of sense.

Myself: Mr. Dawkins of course these terms "Resurrection of the Body" and "the Body of Christ" are puzzling to you because you look at this from a very scientific and worldly kind of view. And from that understanding, you're right… Its impossible for a dead and decayed body to come back to life, just as much as it is impossible for a piece of bread or a glass of wine to turn into flesh and blood. It just can't happen by the means of earthly science. But it can, by the power of God, just as much as the universe can come into existence from nothing. We know that the resurrection is possible and is going to happen because Jesus Himself told us it would happen and showed us in His own resurrection. If that Jesus wouldn't have rose from the dead… There would not be one Christian here today. The Romans would have never tolerated such a lie to be going around… And in fact they didn't! Many of the first early Christians were killed and slaughtered for this truth that Jesus rose from the dead. But the movement didn't stop, because it was the truth, and there were Christians willing to die for this truth! Would you be willing to die over the belief that there isn't a God? Or would you rather not take that chance?

Dawkins: But other Christian denominations are willing to take that (the belief in the real presence in the Eucharist) as more symbolic and metaphorical meaning and Catholics take it as a literal meaning. And I'm trying to be charitable, I'm trying to suggest that its that same sense in that you say that the body is resurrected, because the body is certainly not resurrected in terms of the cell, the protoplasm, the proteins, the DNA… That doesn't happen any more than the wafer turns into that… So you do not mean the wafer turns into the body in any sense in which normal English language usage would understand. You mean it in some other sense. And I take it, its that same sense that the body is resurrected.

Myself: You are correct in some degree that the sense in which this occurs is not from the means of this world. But it does happen.

Dawkins: But I am also a rationalist. I mean, english is my native language! The wafer does NOT become the body of anybody in the english language!

Myself: Well then let me explain it to you better in english that you might understand. Everything has a substance, it is what makes it what it is, correct?  At Mass when the Priest utters the words of consecration, repeating the words and actions that Christ did, what happens to the bread and the wine is called "Transubstantiation". It is where the substance of what makes the bread, bread and the wine, wine is suddenly changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. It may still look and taste like bread and wine, but it's substance is that of Jesus Christ Himself. Now to you, this may not be a good enough scientific explanation… But again it is because you are seeing this from the perspective of the world. And to believe this you must have the understanding of the world from the sense that God can make anything happen. And if the Man who is the Son of God told us that this is His Body and is His Blood, than I would rather trust what He says over what you say.

God love you all, Pray the Rosary daily!

Why I Love the Latin Mass

St. Padre Pio once said, "It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass." It's sad that many people don't realize this. Especially those who are often referred to as "Easter Bunnies" or "Flower People", those who come to Mass only on special occasions. They are missing out on so much!

All my life I have considered myself a very faithful person. My parents raised me with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and with the Mass as a very important part of my upbringing. In grade school I was often teased and called "Jesus Boy" for always wanting to do the right thing. And in high school I joined my church's youth group so that I could strengthen my relationship with Christ through the fellowship of other Catholics. Yet I always wanted more! When ever I would go to Mass I wanted more opportunities to fall in love with Jesus... but each time I left feeling more enriched by the Eucharist than anything else. For me it appeared that after the 1960's, Mass had kinda lost its strength as it once did. It even seemed as though even the priests weren't taking their calling seriously anymore. The Church herself was suffering and I could see it!

It was in high school that I got a real eye-opener when my teacher in my "Christian Ethics" class had each of us attend Mass at different churches around the Minneapolis area. The first Mass I had to attend was at a church called St. Agnes where they celebrated the Mass in Latin. I was instantly in love! The reverence, the music, the whole atmosphere was everything that I had been looking for! This was the Mass that the Saints back in the day would die for!! This was the Mass that was persecuted for its undeniable reverence for Our Lord being truly present in the Eucharist! This was the Mass that the Apostles had received from Jesus Himself!!

The next Mass I had to go to was at another church called St. Joan of Arc's and oh my... I will also never forget that experience either! Their  Mass was held in their gymnasium, and there was no sign of the priest anywhere until a man who wasn't wearing a collar or vestments suddenly stood up with his cup of coffee and said, "Well let's begin!" It wasn't until later that I realized that was the priest, when he finally put on his vestments for consecration. I was horrified! The readings were taken out of a magazine, and a woman came up and gave a homily on a paganistic idea about how "mother earth birthed us from her womb!" It was so extremely appalling!! Many of the other Masses we had to go to after that were quite typical of what I was used to for Mass around town, but after that Latin Mass at St. Agnes, something clued me in to the fact that there is still something very great about the Mass that was being hidden.  

By the time I got to college, my interest in the Holy Mass had peeked, and my search had begun to find what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had called the "hidden treasure of the Church" in the world! Sunday after Sunday I would attend Mass at the local parish on campus that was run by the Jesuit order. The order that St. Ignacius himself started so as to help bring Protestants back into the Church after the Reformation. Yet from one Mass to the next, I was experiencing the same thing... nothing! And soon once the war on terror started, all I ever heard at Mass was a political sermon! I finally got to the point where my sister and I begged my Grandparents to take me to the church that they always went to! And it was there that I found the Latin Mass being offered again! Finally Sunday after Sunday I was beginning to feel my spiritual life getting stronger and stronger! My love for Jesus and His Church becoming more and more!! And even my knowledge of the faith even becoming more and more complete! Ah yes, this was it! This was the Mass of the Saints in Heaven!! This was the Mass that made sinners into Saints!

It was at the Latin Mass that I began to see young boys wanting to serve! And no longer would I hear them say, "I want to be a fireman when I grow up" I was hearing them say instead, "I want to be a priest! I want to be a monk!" I was told so often that the Church was struggling with a shortage of priests, but here they were in the Latin Mass springing  forth like a wildfire! Many I had heard say, "If they want to add more priests to the priesthood, they should allow priests to marry or even allow women to be priests!" But from this I could see, that was not the answer at all! What these young boys needed was a good example of a priest! A priest who believed what he preached and preached what he believed! A priest who would be a true father-figure to his church and guide them on the right path. I priest who wouldn't be afraid of stepping on toes or refusing communion to someone who came in with a bunch of facial piercings and expected it to be okay! No! This was the Mass! This was Mass of Jesus Christ! The Mass of the same God who told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the same God who wipped out the sinful people in Sodom and Gomorrah, and cast out the thieves and money changers in the temples in Jerusalem! The same God, Jesus Christ who died for us on a cross and shed His blood for many so that sins may be forgiven! It was clear this was the Mass!

However now-a-days, people who attend the Latin Mass are viewed as those who are against Vatican II. As I have posted before, Vatican II had a lot of errors in it, and many of the documents of Vatican II were left open to interpretation, which has caused so much confusion in the Church. I would not say that the Latin Mass folk are against the Church and the teachings of Vatican II, but rather we are more cautious with it because of what many have done with it. The English Mass is still valid Mass, do doubt! But unfortunately its true splendor is being hidden by corrupt practices that are being followed. Practices that are personalizing the Mass into the Mass of the priest who says it! And this is not right! The Mass should be about Jesus and bringing us back to His sacrifice for us on the cross! Mass is not another Sunday chore that we must do because we are Catholic... but because we want nothing more than to be with Jesus at Calvary!

As I have also posted before on the story of Pope St. Leo XIII, it is probably a good thing to be cautious with Vatican II since from the time it began it did fall into the "75-100 years" that the Devil requested in order to destroy the Church. And look at it now… Many of the faithful are leaving the Church, abandoning reverence in the Church, and giving into sinful practices that earlier in the Church's history, would never have been allowed. Even a buddy of mine recently alerted me to the fact that the real "Emily Rose" (Anneliese Michel) from the famous exorcism movie, had even been told by her demons that they were "very pleased with the recent Church council." This to me, makes me want to be very cautious, and stay even closer to the Latin Mass.

If you have never been to a Latin Mass before, I would encourage you to go. For some it takes some time to get used to, but for others, it can be love at first sight! I love the Latin Mass!

God love you all, Pray the Rosary Daily!

Drawing the Curtain

Lord Have Mercy On Us!

On October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a vision. When the aged Pontiff had finished celebrating Mass in his private Vatican Chapel, attended by a few Cardinals and members of the Vatican staff, he suddenly stopped at the foot of the altar. He stood there for about 10 minutes, as if in a trance, his face ashen white. Then, going immediately from the Chapel to his office, he composed the prayer to St. Michael, with instructions it be said after all Low Masses everywhere. When asked what had happened, he explained that, as he was about to leave the foot of the altar, he suddenly heard voices - two voices, one kind and gentle, the other guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As he listened, he heard the following conversation:

The guttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasted to Our Lord: "I can destroy your Church."

The gentle voice of Our Lord: "You can? Then go ahead and do so."

Satan: "To do so, I need more time and more power."

Our Lord: "How much time? How much power?

Satan: "75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service."

Our Lord: "You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will."

This happened in 1884.  The devil said he needed 75 to100 years.  Well, 75 years from 1884 is 1959.  Interestingly enough, on January 25, 1959, Blessed John XXIII publicly summoned the Second Vatican Council. Remember that after the vision, Pope Leo XIII immediately wrote the Prayer to St. Michael to help us overcome the devil in his quest.  He instructed that it be said after every low Mass.  One of the first changes to come from Vatican II, was the deletion of the Leonine Prayers which included the prayer to St. Michael.  These prayers were eliminated in 1964, the 80th year of the Devil’s 75 - 100 years needed to destroy the Catholic Church.  It would seem that this would be the time to especially say that prayer, not to delete it. The 100th year finally came in 1984. This would mean that Satan’s mission to destroy the Church is over right? You tell me?

I would say that during these 100 years time, Satan more likely planted seeds in time in order to help distort the Church and her teachings amongst her followers. And because of this, we currently see much disorder not only in Holy Mother Church amongst her laity and clergy, but also in the world as well.

It is more common than ever these days to see more people claim to be atheist, or even leave the Catholic faith for a heretical Protestant Church. And I believe it is becoming safe to say that as good faithful Catholics defend the faith at political rallies, more and more people are becoming publically Anti-Christian, and it would seem that no one cares that this is happening. People hold up signs at rallies stating blasphemous things against Our Lord and His Most Sacred Name! And sinful behaviors are no longer corrected by parents, but rather seen as, “well, that’s just the way things are in this age. The times have changed!” But we must remember that God hasn’t! And the God of the Old Testament is the same God we believe in today!

The number of good faithful Catholics is shrinking, and clearly our Holy Father is suffering greatly as the wolves are devouring his flock. We need to pray for the conversion of sinners and the freedom and exaltation of Holy Mother Church! As we can all see, she is being attacked!

More over we must pray for our Bishops and Priests who have grown weak in this battle for souls. Instead of preaching about the faith and morality, sin and Hell, they have gone on to tell jokes and retell the Gospel in fun and crowd pleasing ways. Most people will even go from Church to Church to find a Priest that will agree with their way of living. Most priests are even aware that majority of engaged couples these days that are going through marriage prep are cohabitating… yet they marry them anyway.

What is our world coming to? Even our nations leaders seem to look at faithful practices as something that is equivalent to holiday traditions; something to be practiced once in a while, but never on a regular basis. Even our judges and lawmakers ignore the natural law given to us by God and invent their own laws to please mankind! Often times when I see things like this happen in the news, I picture Jesus uttering these words to all our politicians and lawmakers who had swore on the Bible to uphold the constitution and pledge allegiance to the flag of which “One Nation, Under God…” stands:

We must not loose hope… we must not give into despair… the battle is not over yet. Even though Satan has become more aggressive in his efforts to destroy the Church and her faithful… he will not win! "That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." Matt. 16:18 & 28:20

God love you all! Pray the Rosary Daily!

The Bishop in White: Part 2

I would like to look back into a previous post I made on February 26, on "The Bishop in White". I stated how in the portion of the Third Secret revealed by the Vatican in the year 2000, there is a vision of the Holy Father passing “through a big city half in ruins”, who is then “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”.  Earlier in the same vision, Sister Lucia also reports seeing one she refers to as “a Bishop dressed in white”.  Yet she did not refer to the Bishop in white as the Holy Father, but only said “we had the impression that he was the Holy Father”.

I also pointed out that just before the death of Pope St. Pius X, he had a vision, in which he saw a future pope of the same name fleeing over the bodies of his brethren, before being killed himself. "I have seen one of my successors, of the same name who was fleeing over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in some hiding place; but after a brief respite, he will die a cruel death”.

In the article I pointed out that this may mean that a successor of Pope Pius X, could maybe be another Pope Pius in the future… Or not? According to a recent discussion I had with a fellow Catholic online, he shared with me that the "same name" of Pope Pius X could be his birth name Giuseppe (Joseph) Melchiorre Sarto and not his papal name of "Pius".

Is it possible that "Joseph" Ratzinger could be that pontiff with the "same name". And could one say that his new dwelling at the Vatican Monastery could be his place of "hiding"?

We know that in Pope Benedict's first Mass as Pope he stated: “Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves.” And has Pope Francis has brought to light, there are many wolves swarming in the Vatican with their own agendas.

This is truly terrifying as Pope Pius X stated. But we must not be afraid. We must stay close to Jesus in this time of tribulation. Even Our Blessed Mother told us in her recent visit to Medjugorje:

"Dear children! With joy in the heart I love you all and call you to draw closer to my Immaculate Heart so I can draw you still closer to my Son Jesus, and that He can give you His peace and love, which are nourishment for each one of you. Open yourselves, little children, to prayer - open yourselves to my love. I am your mother and cannot leave you alone in wandering and sin. You are called, little children, to be my children, my beloved children, so I can present you all to my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call."

And as I have written before of a great chastisement that will come over our world, we must also increase our devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus, according to St. Faustina, who was promised by Jesus that, "…the soul that will venerate this picture will not perish. I further promise to that soul victory over enemies here on earth and especially in the hour of death. I myself, shall defend that soul as My own Glory...." I will preserve the cities and homes in which this image shall be venerated."

Pray my dear brothers and sisters, that we may survive the coming trials.

God love you all, Pray the Rosary daily!