THE silence of Canadians, coupled with false expectations of their government leaders, is leading to a totalitarian state. Here’s why that’s not an exaggeration…Continue reading
FAITH AND MORALS
Canadian Cowards
IN what comes as no surprise, the Canadian “conservative” candidate in the upcoming federal election has announced his position on the fate of the unborn in our country:Continue reading
Woe to Me!
OH, what a summer it has been! Everything I have touched has turned to dust. Vehicles, machinery, electronics, appliances, tires… nearly everything has broken. What an implosion of the material! I have been experiencing firsthand the words of Jesus:Continue reading
Recovering Who We Are
Nothing remains for Us, therefore, but to invite this poor world that has shed so much blood, has dug so many graves, has destroyed so many works, has deprived so many men of bread and labor, nothing else remains for us, We say, but to invite it in the loving words of the sacred Liturgy: “Be thou converted to the Lord thy God.” —POPE PIUS XI, Caritate Christi Compulsi, May 3rd, 1932; vatican.va
…we cannot forget that evangelization is first and foremost about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of them are quietly seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face, even in countries of ancient Christian tradition. All of them have a right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone… John Paul II asked us to recognize that “there must be no lessening of the impetus to preach the Gospel” to those who are far from Christ, “because this is the first task of the Church”. —POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 15; vatican.va
The Divine Arrow
My time in the Ottawa/Kingston region in Canada was powerful over the course of six evenings with hundreds of people attending from the area. I came without prepared talks or notes with only the desire to speak the “now word” to God’s children. Thanks in part to your prayers, many experienced Christ’s unconditional love and presence more deeply as their eyes were opened again to the power of the Sacraments and His Word. Among many of the lingering memories is a talk I gave to a group of junior high students. Afterward, one girl came up to me and said she was experiencing the Presence and healing of Jesus in a profound way… and then broke down and wept in my arms in front of her classmates.
The message of the Gospel is perennially good, always powerful, always relevant. The power of God’s love is always capable of piercing even the hardest of hearts. With that in mind, the following “now word” was on my heart all last week… Continue reading
Practically Speaking
IN response to my article On Criticism of the Clergy, one reader asked:
Are we to be silent when there is injustice? When good religious men and women and laity are silent, I believe it is more sinful than what is taking place. Hiding behind false religious piety is a slippery slope. I find too many in the Church strive for sainthood by being silent, out of fear of what or how they are going to say it. I’d rather be vocal and miss the mark knowing there may be a better chance of change. My fear for what you wrote, not that you are advocating for silence, but for the one who may have been ready to speak up either eloquently or not, will become silent out of fear of missing the mark or sin. I say step out and retreat into repentance if you must… I know you’d like everyone to get along and be nice but…
The Breath of Life
THE breath of God is at the very center of creation. It is this breath that not only renews creation but gives you and me the opportunity to begin again when we have fallen…Continue reading
Ashamed of Jesus
Photo from The Passion of the Christ
SINCE my trip to the Holy Land, something deep within has been stirring, a holy fire, a holy desire to make Jesus loved and known again. I say “again” because, not only has the Holy Land barely retained a Christian presence, but the entire Western world is in a rapid collapse of Christian belief and values,[1]cf. All the Difference and hence, the destruction of its moral compass.Continue reading
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. All the Difference |
|---|
The Eighth Sacrament
THERE is a little “now word” that has been stuck in my thoughts for years, if not decades. And that is the growing need for authentic Christian community. While we have seven sacraments in the Church, which are essentially “encounters” with the Lord, I believe one could also speak of an “eighth sacrament” based on Jesus’ teaching:Continue reading
All the Difference
CARDINAL Sarah was blunt: “A West that denies its faith, its history, its roots, and its identity is destined for contempt, for death, and disappearance.” [1]cf. The African Now Word Statistics reveal that this is not a prophetic warning—it’s a prophetic fulfillment:Continue reading
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The African Now Word |
|---|
The African Now Word
Cardinal Sarah kneels before the Blessed Sacrament in Toronto (University of St Michael’s College)
Photo: Catholic Herald
CARDINAL Robert Sarah has given a stunning, perceptive and prescient interview in the Catholic Herald today. It not only repeats “the now word” in terms of the warning that I have been compelled to speak for over a decade, but most especially and importantly, the solutions. Here are some of the key thoughts from Cardinal Sarah’s interview along with links for new readers to some of my writings that parallel and expand his observations:Continue reading
The Cross is Love
WHENEVER we see someone suffering, we often say “Oh, that person’s cross is heavy.” Or I might think that my own circumstances, be they unexpected sorrows, reversals, trials, breakdowns, health issues, etc. are my “cross to carry.” Moreover, we might seek out certain mortifications, fasts, and observances to add to our “cross.” While it is true that suffering is part of one’s cross, to reduce it to this is to miss what the Cross truly signifies: love. Continue reading
Loving Jesus
FRANKLY, I feel unworthy of writing on the present subject, as one who has loved the Lord so poorly. Everyday I set out to love Him, but by the time I enter an examination of conscience, I find that I have loved myself more. And the words of St. Paul become my own:Continue reading
Finding Jesus
WALKING along the Sea of Galilee one morning, I wondered how it was possible that Jesus was so rejected and even tortured and killed. I mean, here was One who not only loved, but was love itself: “for God is love.” [1]1 John 4:8 Every breath then, every word, every glance, every thought, every moment was imbued with Divine Love, so much so that hardened sinners would simply leave everything at once at the mere sound of his voice.Continue reading
Footnotes
| ↑1 | 1 John 4:8 |
|---|
The Crisis Behind the Crisis
To repent is to not just acknowledge that I have done wrong;
it is to turn my back on the wrong and start incarnating the Gospel.
On this hinges the future of Christianity in the world today.
The world does not believe what Christ taught
because we do not incarnate it.
—Servant of God Catherine Doherty, from Kiss of Christ
THE Church’s greatest moral crisis continues to escalate in our times. This has resulted in “lay inquisitions” led by Catholic media, calls for sweeping reforms, an overhaul of alert systems, updated procedures, the excommunication of bishops, and so forth. But all of this fails to recognize the real root of the problem and why every “fix” proposed thus far, no matter how backed by righteous indignation and sound reason, fails to deal with the crisis within the crisis.Continue reading
On Weaponizing the Mass
THERE are serious seismic changes occurring in the world and our culture almost on an hourly basis. It doesn’t take a keen eye to recognize that the prophetic warnings foretold over many centuries are unfolding now in real time. So why have I focused on the radical conservatism in the Church this week (not to mention radical liberalism through abortion)? Because one of the foretold events is a coming schism. “A house divided against itself will fall,” Jesus warned.Continue reading
The Bloody Red Herring
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
THERE is a collective gasp rising from America, and rightly so. Politicians have begun to move in several States to repeal restrictions on abortion that would then allow the procedure up until the moment of birth. But more than that. Today, the Governor of Virginia defended a proposed bill that would let mothers and their abortion provider decide whether a baby whose mother is in labor, or a baby born alive through a botched abortion, can still be killed.
This is a debate on legalizing infanticide.Continue reading
Was Pope Francis’ Election Invalid?
A group of cardinals known as “St. Gallen’s mafia” apparently wanted Jorge Bergoglio elected to advance their modernist agenda. News of this group emerged a few years ago and has led some to continue to allege that the election of Pope Francis is, therefore, invalid. Continue reading
Surpassing the Pharisees
WE hear these words from the Gospel several times a year, and yet, do we really let them sink in?Continue reading
The Catholic Fail
FOR twelve years the Lord has asked me to sit upon the “rampart” as one of John Paul II’s “watchmen” and speak about what I see coming—not according to my own ideas, pre-conceptions, or thoughts, but according to the authentic Public and private revelation through which God continually speaks to his People. But taking my eyes off the horizon the past few days and looking instead to our own House, the Catholic Church, I find myself bowing my head in shame.Continue reading
Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part V
TRUE freedom is living each moment in the fullest reality of who you are.
And who are you? That is the aching, over-arching question that mostly eludes this present generation in a world where the elderly have misplaced the answer, the Church has fumbled it, and the media has ignored it. But here it is:
Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part IV
As we continue this five part series on Human Sexuality and Freedom, we now examine some of the moral questions on what is right and what is wrong. Please note, this is for mature readers…
ANSWERS TO INTIMATE QUESTIONS
SOMEONE once said, “The truth will set you free—but first it will tick you off.”
Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part III
ON THE DIGNITY OF MAN AND WOMAN
THERE is a joy that we must rediscover as Christians today: the joy of seeing the face of God in the other—and this includes those who have compromised their sexuality. In our contemporary times, St. John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa, Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Jean Vanier and others come to mind as individuals who found the capacity to recognize God’s image, even in the distressing disguise of poverty, brokenness, and sin. They saw, as it were, the “crucified Christ” in the other.
Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part II
ON GOODNESS AND CHOICES
THERE is something else that must be said about the creation of man and woman that was determined “in the beginning.” And if we don’t understand this, if we don’t grasp this, then any discussion of morality, of right or wrong choices, of following God’s designs, risks casting the discussion of human sexuality into a sterile list of prohibitions. And this, I am certain, would only serve to deepen the divide between the Church’s beautiful and rich teachings on sexuality, and those who feel alienated by her.
Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part I
ON THE ORIGINS OF SEXUALITY
There is a full-blown crisis today—a crisis in human sexuality. It follows in the wake of a generation that is almost entirely un-catechized on the truth, beauty, and goodness of our bodies and their God-designed functions. The following series of writings is a frank discussion on the subject that will cover questions regarding alternative forms of marriage, masturbation, sodomy, oral sex, etc. Because the world is discussing these issues every day on radio, television and the internet. Does the Church have nothing to say on these matters? How do we respond? Indeed, she does—she has something beautiful to say.
“The truth will set you free,” Jesus said. Perhaps this is no more true than in matters of human sexuality. This series is recommended for mature readers… First published in June, 2015.
Interpreting Revelation
WITHOUT a doubt, the Book of Revelation is one of the most controversial in all of Sacred Scripture. On one end of the spectrum are fundamentalists who take every word literally or out of context. On the other are those who believe the book has already been fulfilled in the first century or who ascribe to the book a merely allegorical interpretation.Continue reading
Pope Francis On…
…as the Church’s one and only indivisible magisterium, the pope and the bishops in union with him carry the gravest responsibility that no ambiguous sign or unclear teaching comes from them, confusing the faithful or lulling them into a false sense of security.
—Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller, former prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; First Things, April 20th, 2018
THE Pope can be confusing, his words ambiguous, his thoughts incomplete. There are many rumours, suspicions, and accusations that the current Pontiff is trying to change Catholic teaching. So, for the record, here is Pope Francis…Continue reading
Papal Puzzlery
A comprehensive response to many questions directed my way regarding the turbulent pontificate of Pope Francis. I apologize that this is a bit lengthier than usual. But thankfully, it is answering several readers’ questions….
FROM a reader:
I pray for conversion and for the intentions of Pope Francis everyday. I am one who initially fell in love with the Holy Father when he was first elected, but over the years of his Pontificate, he has confused me and made me very concerned that his liberal Jesuit spirituality was almost goose-stepping with the left-leaning world view and liberal times. I am a Secular Franciscan so my profession binds me to obedience to him. But I must admit that he scares me… How do we know he is not an anti-pope? Is the media twisting his words? Are we to blindly follow and pray for him all the more? This is what I have been doing, but my heart is conflicted.
Always Victorious
Many forces have tried, and still do, to destroy the Church,
from without as well as within,
but they themselves are destroyed and the Church
remains alive and fruitful…Continue reading
Justin the Just
Justin Trudeau at Gay Pride Parade, Vancouver, 2016; Ben Nelms/Reuters
HISTORY shows that when men or women aspire to the leadership of a country, they almost always come with an ideology—and aspire to leave with a legacy. Few are just mere managers. Whether they are Vladimir Lenin, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Donald Trump, Kim Yong-un, or Angela Merkel; whether they are on the left or the right, an atheist or a Christian, brutal or passive—they intend to leave their mark in the history books, for better or worse (always thinking it is “for the better”, of course). Ambition can be a blessing or a curse.Continue reading
The Papacy is Not One Pope
The Chair of Peter, St. Peter’s, Rome; Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
OVER the weekend, Pope Francis added to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (the record of the papacy’s official acts) a letter he sent to the Bishops of Buenos Aires last year, approving their guidelines for discerning Communion for the divorced and remarried based on their interpretation of the post-synodal document, Amoris Laetitia. But this has served to only further stir muddy waters over the question of whether or not Pope Francis is opening the door for Communion to Catholics who are in an objectively adulterous situation.Continue reading
Barquing Up the Wrong Tree
HE looked at me intensely and said, “Mark, you have a lot of readers. If Pope Francis teaches error, you must break away and lead your flock in truth.”
I was stunned by the clergyman’s words. For one, “my flock” of readers do not belong to me. They (you) are Christ’s possession. And of you, He says:
Why Did You Quote Medjugorje?
Medjugorje visionary, Mirjana Soldo, Photo courtesy LaPresse
“WHY did you quote that unapproved private revelation?”
It’s a question I get asked on occasion. Moreover, rarely do I see an adequate answer to it, even among the Church’s best apologists. The question itself betrays a serious deficit in catechesis among average Catholics when it comes to mysticism and private revelation. Why are we so afraid to even listen?Continue reading
Participating in Jesus
Detail from the Creation of Adam, Michelangelo, c. 1508–1512
ONCE one understands the Cross—that we are not mere observers but active participants in the salvation of the world—it changes everything. Because now, by uniting the whole of your activity to Jesus, you yourself become a “living sacrifice” who is “hidden” in Christ. You become a real instrument of grace through the merits of Christ’s Cross and a participant in His divine “office” through His Resurrection.Continue reading
Understanding the Cross
MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS
“OFFER it up.” It’s the most common Catholic answer we give to others who are suffering. There is truth and reason as to why we say it, but do we really understand what we mean? Do we really know the power of suffering in Christ? Do we really “get” the Cross?Continue reading
True Woman, True Man
ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
DURING the scene of “Our Lady” at Arcātheos, it seemed as if the Blessed Mother really was present, and sending us a message at that. One of those messages had to do with what it means to be a true woman, and thus, a true man. It ties into Our Lady’s overall message to humanity at this time, that a period of peace is coming, and thus, renewal…Continue reading
On Just Discrimination
DISCRIMINATION is evil, right? But, in truth, we discriminate against each other every day…Continue reading
Who Are You to Judge?
OPT. MEMORIAL OF
THE FIRST MARTYRS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH
“WHO are you to judge?”
Sounds virtuous, doesn’t it? But when these words are used to deflect from taking a moral stand, to wash one’s hands of responsibility for others, to remain uncommitted in the face of injustice… then it is cowardice. Moral relativism is cowardice. And today, we are awash in cowards—and the consequences are no small thing. Pope Benedict calls it…Continue reading
The Need for Jesus
SOMETIMES the discussion of God, religion, truth, freedom, divine laws, etc. can cause us to lose sight of the fundamental message of Christianity: not only do we need Jesus in order to be saved, but we need Him in order to be happy.Continue reading
The Blue Butterfly
A recent debate I had with a few atheists inspired this story… The Blue Butterfly symbolizes the presence of God.
HE sat at the edge of the circular cement pond in the middle of the park, a fountain trickling away at its center. His cupped hands were raised in front of his eyes. Peter gazed through a tiny crack as though he were looking into the face of his first love. Inside, he held a treasure: a blue butterfly.Continue reading
Making Way for Angels
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for June 7th, 2017
Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Liturgical texts here
SOMETHING remarkable happens when we give praise to God: His ministering angels are released in our midst.Continue reading
Rationalism, and the Death of Mystery
WHEN one approaches a haze in the distance, it may seem as though you’re going to enter a thick fog. But when you “get there,” and then look behind you, suddenly you realize you’ve been in it all along. The haze is everywhere.
True Evangelization
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 24th, 2017
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
THERE has been much hullabaloo since Pope Francis’ comments a few years back denouncing proselytism—the attempt to convert someone to one’s own religious faith. For those who did not scrutinize his actual statement, it caused confusion because, bringing souls to Jesus Christ—that is, into Christianity—is precisely why the Church exists. So either Pope Francis was abandoning the Church’s Great Commission, or perhaps he meant something else.Continue reading
A Crisis of Community
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 9th, 2017
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
ONE of the most fascinating aspects of the early Church is that, after Pentecost, they immediately, almost instinctively, formed community. They sold everything they had and held it in common so that everyone’s needs were cared for. And yet, no where do we see an explicit command from Jesus to do as such. It was so radical, so contrary to the thinking of the time, that these early communities transformed the world around them.Continue reading
Turn On the Headlights
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 16–17th, 2017
Thursday-Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
JADED. Disappointed. Betrayed… those are some of the feelings many have after watching one failed prediction after another in recent years. We were told the “millenium” computer bug, or Y2K, would bring the end of modern civilization as we know it when the clocks turned January 1st, 2000… but nothing happened beyond the echoes of Auld Lang Syne. Then there were the spiritual predictions of those, such as the late Fr. Stefano Gobbi, that foretold the climax of the Great Tribulation around the same period. This was followed by more failed predictions regarding the date of the so-called “Warning”, of an economic collapse, of no 2017 Presidential Inauguration in the U.S., etc..
So you might find it odd for me to say that, at this hour in the world, we need prophecy more than ever. Why? In the Book of Revelation, an angel says to St. John: