The Useless Temptation

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THIS morning, on the first leg of my flight to California where I’ll be speaking this week (see Mark in California), I peered out the window of our jet at the ground far below. I was just finishing the first decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries when an overwhelming sense of futility came over me. “I am just a mere speck of dust on the face of the earth… one of 6 billion people. What difference could I possibly make??….”

Then I suddenly realized: Jesus also became one of us “specks.” He too became just one of the millions who lived on earth at that time. He was unknown to most of the population of the world, and even in His own country, many did not see or hear Him preach. But Jesus accomplished the Father’s will according to the Father’s designs, and in so doing, the impact of Jesus’ life and death has an eternal consequence that extends to the very ends of the cosmos.

 

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The Rescuer

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The Rescuer
The Rescuer, by Michael D. O’Brien

 

 

THERE are many kinds of “love” in our world, but not all triumph. It is only that love which gives of itself, or rather, dies to itself that carries the seed of redemption.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. (John 12:24-26)

What I am saying here is not easy—dying to our own will is not easy. Letting go in a certain situation is hard. Seeing our loved ones go down destructive paths is painful. Having to let a situation turn in the opposite direction we think it should go, is a death in itself. It is only through Jesus that we are able to find the power to bear these sufferings, to find the power to give and the power to forgive.

To love with a love that triumphs.

 

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The Great Vacuum

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A vacuum has been created in the souls of the youth generation—whether in China or America—by an onslaught of propaganda which centers on self-fulfillment, rather than on God. Our hearts are made for Him, and when we do not have God—or we refuse Him entry—something else takes His place. This is why the Church must never cease to evangelize, to proclaim the Good News that the Lord wishes to enter our hearts, with all His Heart, to fill the vacuum.

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. (John 14:23)

But this Gospel, if it is to have any credibility, must be preached with our lives.

 
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Mark in California

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Mark will be speaking and singing at the following venues after Easter, including a Divine Mercy Conference.

  • April 12: Encounter With Jesus, St. John the Baptist Parish, Folsom, CA, USA, 7:00 pm
  • April 13-15: Divine Mercy Conference, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Brentwood, CA, USA
  • April 16: Encounter WIth Jesus, St. Patrick’s Parish, Merced, CA, USA, 7:00 pm
  • April 17: Encounter With Jesus, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, Beaumont, CA, USA, 7:00 pm
  • April 19: Women’s Christian Fellowship, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Carlsbad, CA, USA, 9:30 am
  • April 19: Encounter With Jesus, Knights of Columbus Hall, Highland, CA, USA, 7:00 pm

Join Mark for a powerful encounter of God’s presence.

 

 


Persecution! …and the Moral Tsunami

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As more and more people are waking up to the growing persecution of the Church, this writing addresses why, and where it’s all heading. First published December 12th, 2005, I have updated the preamble below…

 

I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look forth to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:1-2)

 

THE past several weeks, I have been hearing with renewed force in my heart that there is a persecution coming—a “word” the Lord seemed to convey to a priest and I while on retreat in 2005.  As I prepared to write about this today, I received the following email from a reader:

I had a weird dream last night.  I awoke this morning with the words “Persecution is coming.” Wondering if others are getting this as well…

That is, at least, what Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York implied last week on the heels of gay marriage being accepted into law in New York. He wrote…

…we do worry indeed about this freedom of religion.  Editorials already call for the removal of guarantees of religious liberty, with crusaders calling for people of faith to be coerced to acceptance of this redefinition.  If the experience of those few other states and countries where this is already law is any indication, the churches, and believers, will soon be harassed, threatened, and hauled into court for their conviction that marriage is between one man, one woman, forever, bringing children into the world.—from Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s blog, “Some Afterthoughts”, July 7th, 2011; http://blog.archny.org/?p=1349

He is echoing Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, former President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who said five years ago:

“…speaking in defense of the life and the rights of the family is becoming, in some societies, a type of crime against the State, a form of disobedience to the Government…” —Vatican City, June 28, 2006

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New Tours — California, Western Canada

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TODAY, I am setting out for Northern Alberta, Canada for several ministry events, and then I’ll be heading over to Manitoba. The Encounter with Jesus is a blend of music and word ending with a powerful time of Adoration that many have never experienced before. The schedule is below. In April, I’ll be heading to California (see tentative schedule here.) I hope to see some of you, my readers, there! Thank you for all of your prayers…

 

  • March 6: Encounter With Jesus, St. Dominic Parish, Cold Lake, AB, 7 pm
  • March 7: Encounter With Jesus, St. Louis Parish, Bonnyville, AB, 7 pm
  • March 8: Encounter With Jesus, St. Isidore Parish, Plamondon, AB, 7 pm
  • March 10: Concert hosted by Voice For Life, St. Joseph Catholic Church,Grande Prairie, AB, 7:30 pm
  • March 11: Encounter With Jesus, St. Anne’s Parish, Barrhead, AB, 7 pm
  • March 13: Encounter With Jesus, St. Mary’s Parish, Wadena, SK, 7pm
  • March 14 & 15: Lenten Mission, St. Rose of Lima Parish, St. Rose du Lac, MB, 7 pm nightly
  • March 16-18: Lenten Mission, Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Amaranth, MB, 7 pm first night

 

 

How the Era was Lost

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THE future hope of an “era of peace” based on the “thousand years” that follow the death of Antichrist, according to the the book of Revelation, may sound like a new concept to some readers. To others, it is considered a heresy. But it is neither. The fact is, the eschatological hope of a “period” of peace and justice, of a “Sabbath rest” for the Church before the end of time, does have its basis in Sacred Tradition. In reality, it has been somewhat buried in centuries of misinterpretation, unwarranted attacks, and speculative theology that continues to this day. In this writing, we look at the question of exactly how “the era was lost”—a bit of a soap opera in itself—and other questions such as whether it is literally a “thousand years,” whether Christ will be visibly present at that time, and what we can expect. Why is this important? Because it not only confirms a future hope that the Blessed Mother announced as imminent at Fatima, but of events that must take place at the end of this age that will change the world forever… events that appear to be on the very threshold of our times. 

 

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Pentecost and the Illumination

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IN early 2007, a powerful image came to me one day during prayer. I recount it again here (from The Smoldering Candle):

I saw the world gathered as though in a dark room. In the center is a burning candle. It is very short, the wax nearly all melted. The Flame represents the light of Christ: Truth.Continue reading →

Charismatic! Part VII

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THE point of this entire series on the charismatic gifts and movement is to encourage the reader to not be afraid of the extraordinary in God! To not be afraid to “open wide your hearts” to the gift of the Holy Spirit whom the Lord wishes to pour out in a special and powerful way in our times. As I read the letters sent to me, it is clear that the Charismatic Renewal has not been without its sorrows and failures, its human deficiencies and weaknesses. And yet, this is precisely what occurred in the early Church after Pentecost. Saints Peter and Paul devoted much space to correcting the various churches, moderating the charisms, and refocusing the budding communities over and over again upon the oral and written tradition that was being handed on to them. What the Apostles did not do is deny the often dramatic experiences of believers, try to stifle the charisms, or silence the zeal of thriving communities. Rather, they said:

Do not quench the Spirit… pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy… above all, let your love for one another be intense… (1 Thess 5:19; 1 Cor 14:1; 1 Pet 4:8)

I want to devote the last part of this series to sharing my own experiences and reflections since I first experienced the charismatic movement in 1975. Rather than give my entire testimony here, I will restrict it to those experiences one might call “charismatic.”

 

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Charismatic? Part VI

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pentecost3_FotorPentecost, Artist Unknown

  

PENTECOST is not only a single event, but a grace that the Church can experience again and again. However, in this past century, the popes have been praying not only for a renewal in the Holy Spirit, but for a “new Pentecost”. When one considers all the signs of the times that have accompanied this prayer—key among them the continued presence of the Blessed Mother gathering with her children on earth through ongoing apparitions, as though she were once again in the “upper room” with the Apostles… the words of the Catechism take on a new sense of immediacy:

…at the “end time” the Lord’s Spirit will renew the hearts of men, engraving a new law in them. He will gather and reconcile the scattered and divided peoples; he will transform the first creation, and God will dwell there with men in peace. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 715

This time when the Spirit comes to “renew the face of the earth” is the period, after the death of Antichrist, during what the Church Father’s pointed to in St. John’s Apocalypse as the “thousand year” era when Satan is chained in the abyss.Continue reading →

Charismatic? Part V

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AS we look at the Charismatic Renewal today, we see a great decline in its numbers, and those who remain are mostly grey and white-haired. What, then, was the Charismatic Renewal all about if it appears on the surface to be fizzling? As one reader wrote in response to this series:

At some point the Charismatic movement vanished like fireworks that light up the night sky and then fall back into the darkenss. I was somewhat puzzled that a move of Almighty God would wane and finally fade away.

The answer to this question is perhaps the most important aspect of this series, for it helps us to understand not only where we’ve come from, but what the future holds for the Church…

 

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Charismatic? Part IV

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I have been asked before if I am a “Charismatic.” And my answer is, “I am Catholic!” That is, I want to be fully Catholic, to live in the center of the deposit of faith, the heart of our mother, the Church. And so, I strive to be “charismatic”, “marian,” “contemplative,” “active,” “sacramental,” and “apostolic.” That is because all of the above belong not to this or that group, or this or that movement, but to the entire body of Christ. While apostolates may vary in the focus of their particular charism, in order to be fully alive, fully “healthy,” one’s heart, one’s apostolate, should be open to the entire treasury of grace that the Father has bestowed upon the Church.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens… (Eph 1:3)

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Charismatic? Part III

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Holy Spirit Window, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

 

FROM that letter in Part I:

I go out of my way to attend a church that is very traditional—where people dress properly, remain quiet in front of the Tabernacle, where we are catechized according to Tradition from the pulpit, etc.

I stay far away from charismatic churches. I just don’t see that as Catholicism. There is often a movie screen on the altar with parts of the Mass listed on it (“Liturgy,” etc.). Women are on the altar. Everyone is dressed very casually (jeans, sneakers, shorts, etc.) Everyone raises their hands, shouts, claps—no quiet. There is no kneeling or other reverent gestures. It seems to me that a lot of this was learned from the Pentecostal denomination. No one thinks the “details” of Tradition matter. I feel no peace there. What happened to Tradition? To silence (such as no clapping!) out of respect for the Tabernacle??? To modest dress?

 

I was seven years old when my parents attended a Charismatic prayer meeting in our parish. There, they had an encounter with Jesus that profoundly changed them. Our parish priest was a good shepherd of the movement who himself experienced the “baptism in the Spirit.” He permitted the prayer group to grow in its charisms, thereby bringing many more conversions and graces to the Catholic community. The group was ecumenical, and yet, faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. My dad described it as a “truly beautiful experience.”

In hindsight, it was a model of sorts of what the popes, from the very beginning of the Renewal, wished to see: an integration of the movement with the whole Church, in fidelity to the Magisterium.

 

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The Verdict

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AS my recent ministry tour progressed, I felt a new weight in my soul, a heaviness of heart unlike previous missions the Lord has sent me on. After preaching about His love and mercy, I asked the Father one night why the world… why anyone would not want to open their hearts to Jesus who has given so much, who has never hurt a soul, and who has burst open the gates of Heaven and gained every spiritual blessing for us through His death upon the Cross?

The answer came swiftly, a word from the Scriptures themselves:

And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. (John 3:19)

The growing sense, as I’ve meditated on this word, is that it is a definitive word for our times, indeed a verdict for a world now upon the threshold of extraordinary change….

 

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Charismatic? Part II

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THERE is perhaps no movement in the Church that has been so widely accepted—and readily rejected—as the “Charismatic Renewal.” Boundaries were broken, comfort zones moved, and the status quo shattered. Like Pentecost, it has been anything but a neat and tidy movement, fitting nicely into our preconceived boxes of just how the Spirit should move among us. Nothing has been perhaps as polarizing either… just as it was then. When the Jews heard and saw the Apostles burst from the upper room, speaking in tongues, and boldly proclaiming the Gospel…

They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, “What does this mean?” But others said, scoffing, “They have had too much new wine. (Acts 2:12-13)

Such is the division in my letter bag as well…

The Charismatic movement is a load of gibberish, NONSENSE! The Bible speaks of the gift of tongues. This referred to the ability to communicate in the spoken languages of that time! It did not mean idiotic gibberish… I will have nothing to do with it. —T.S.

It saddens me to see this lady speak this way about the movement that brought me back to Church… —M.G.

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Charismatic? Part I

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From a reader:

You mention the Charismatic Renewal (in your writing The Christmas Apocalypse) in a positive light. I don’t get it. I go out of my way to attend a church that is very traditional—where people dress properly, remain quiet in front of the Tabernacle, where we are catechized according to Tradition from the pulpit, etc.

I stay far away from charismatic churches. I just don’t see that as Catholicism. There is often a movie screen on the altar with parts of the Mass listed on it (“Liturgy,” etc.). Women are on the altar. Everyone is dressed very casually (jeans, sneakers, shorts, etc.) Everyone raises their hands, shouts, claps—no quiet. There is no kneeling or other reverent gestures. It seems to me that a lot of this was learned from the Pentecostal denomination. No one thinks the “details” of Tradition matter. I feel no peace there. What happened to Tradition? To silence (such as no clapping!) out of respect for the Tabernacle??? To modest dress?

And I have never seen anyone who had a REAL gift of tongues. They tell you to say nonsense with them…! I tried it years ago, and I was saying NOTHING! Can’t that type of thing call down ANY spirit? It seems like it should be called “charismania.” The “tongues” people speak in are just jibberish! After Pentecost, people understood the preaching. It just seems like any spirit can creep into this stuff. Why would anyone want hands laid on them that are not consecrated??? Sometimes I am aware of certain serious sins that people are in, and yet there they are on the altar in their jeans laying hands on others. Aren’t those spirits being passed on? I don’t get it!

I would much rather attend a Tridentine Mass where Jesus is at the center of everything. No entertainment—just worship.

 

Dear reader,

You raise some important points worth discussing. Is the Charismatic Renewal from God? Is it a Protestant invention, or even a diabolical one? Are these “gifts of the Spirit” or ungodly “graces”?

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The Prophetic Mountain

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WE are parked at the base of the Canadian Rocky Mountains this evening, as my daughter and I prepare to grab some shut eye before the day’s journey to the Pacific Ocean tomorrow.

I am only a few miles from the mountain where, seven years ago, the Lord spoke powerful prophetic words to Fr. Kyle Dave and I. He is a priest from Louisiana who fled Hurricane Katrina when it ravaged the southern states, including his parish. Fr. Kyle came to stay with me in the aftermath, as a veritable tsunami of water (a 35 foot storm surge!) tore through his church, leaving nothing but a few statues behind.

While here, we prayed, read the Scriptures, celebrated the Mass, and prayed some more as the Lord made the Word come alive. It was as though a window was opened, and we were allowed to peer into the fog of the future for a short time. Everything that was spoken in seed form then (see The Petals and Trumpets of Warning) is now unfolding before our eyes. Since then, I have expounded on  those prophetic days in some 700 writings here and in a book, as the Spirit has led me on this unexpected journey…

 

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Mark in Western Canada

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WELL, we’re off to a bang already! Our motorhome sprung a leak, the batteries suddenly died, and a brake part has been delayed. Perhaps more concerning are the winter storms that are ravaging the mountain passes that we have to go through when we eventually get rolling (today?).

Blessed be God, now and forever.

I keep thinking of St. Paul who was shipwrecked while on an Alexandrian ship on his way to Rome. In fact, 6 years ago, I felt inspired to name our motorhome “The Alexandrian” based on the story that every passenger on St. Paul’s ship was spared, but the ship itself was lost. How prophetic that inspiration was!

Yet, trying to be good stewards, we have tried to raise enough money to trade this tired old bus in, but have come up quite short. That too is God’s will. And yet, in all of this, I know the Lord is with us… gently speaking, directing, and guiding.

Yet, these are material obstacles. I have many “words” I want to write to you since Christmas, but there have been wall to wall obstacles that have prevented me from getting in front of the keyboard (not the least, my mother-in-law being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer shortly after New Year’s. Her name is Margaret… please pray for this dear woman whose faith and peaceful acceptance of God’s will are inspiring us all.) I am reminded of the prophet Daniel who asked God for wisdom to interpret the visions he was seeing. Finally, after three weeks, an angel suddenly appeared saying,

Do not fear, Daniel… from the first day you made up your mind to acquire understanding and humble yourself before God, your prayer was heard. Because of it I started out, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. (Dan 10:13)

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Esperanza

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Maria Esperanza, 1928 – 2004

 

The cause for canonization of Maria Esperanza was opened January 31, 2010. This writing was first published on September 15th, 2008, on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. As with the writing Trajectory, which I recommend you read, this writing also contains many “now words” that we need to hear again.

And again.

 

THIS past year, when I would pray in the Spirit, a word would often and suddenly rise to my lips: “esperanza.” I just learned that this is a Hispanic word meaning “hope.”

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The Storm at Hand

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WHEN this ministry first began, the Lord made it clear to me in a gentle but firm way that I was not to be shy in “blowing the trumpet.” This was confirmed by a Scripture:

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: When I bring the sword against a land… and the sentinel sees the sword coming against the land, he should blow the trumpet to warn the people… If, however, the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the sword attacks and takes someone’s life, his life will be taken for his own sin, but I will hold the sentinel responsible for his blood. You, son of man — I have appointed you as a sentinel for the house of Israel; when you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them for me. (Ezekiel 33:1-7)

The young have shown themselves to be for Rome and for the Church a special gift of the Spirit of God… I did not hesitate to ask them to make a radical choice of faith and life and present them with a stupendous task: to become “morning watchmen” at the dawn of the new millennium. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Novo Millennio Inuente, n.9

With the help of a holy spiritual director and much, much grace, I have been able to raise the instrument of warning to my lips and blow it according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. More recently, before Christmas, I met with my own shepherd, his Excellency, Bishop Don Bolen, to discuss my ministry and the prophetic aspect of my work. He told me that he did “not want to put any stumbling blocks in the way”, and that it was “good” that I was “sounding the warning.” Regarding more specific prophetic elements of my ministry, he expressed caution, as he should have. For how can we know if a prophecy is a prophecy until it comes true? His caution is my own in the spirit of St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians:

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. (1 Thess 5:19-21)

It is in this sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church’s shepherds. “Their office [is] not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good,” so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together “for the common good.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 801

Regarding discernment, I want to recommend Bishop Don’s own writing on the times, one that is refreshingly honest, accurate, and challenges the reader to become a vessel of hope (“Giving An Account of Our Hope“, www.saskatoondiocese.com, May 2011).

 

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The Christmas Apocalypse

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WITHIN the Christmas narrative lies the pattern of the end times. 2000 years after its first telling, the Church is able to peer into the Sacred Scripture with a deeper clarity and understanding as the Holy Spirit unveils Daniel’s book—a book that was to be sealed “until the end time” when the world would be in a state of rebellion—apostasy. [1]cf. Is the Veil Lifting?

As for you, Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall increase. (Daniel 12:4)

It is not that there is something “new” being revealed, per se. Rather, our understanding of the unfolding “details” is becoming more clear:

Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. —Catechism of the Catholic Church 66

By paralleling the Christmas narrative to our times, we may be given a greater understanding of what is here and coming…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Is the Veil Lifting?

Dynasty, Not Democracy – Part II

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Artist Unknown

 

WITH the ongoing scandals coming to surface in the Catholic Church, many—including even clergy—are calling for the Church to reform her laws, if not her foundational faith and morals that belong to the deposit of faith.

The problem is, in our modern world of referendums and elections, many do not realize that Christ established a dynasty, not a democracy.

 

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The Great Earthquake

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IT was Servant of God, Maria Esperanza (1928-2004), who said of our present generation:

The consciences of this beloved people must be violently shaken so that they may “put their house in order”… A great moment is approaching, a great day of light… it is the hour of decision for mankind. —The Antichrist and the End Times, Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi, cf. P. 37 (Volumne 15-n.2, Featured Article from www.sign.org)

This “shaking” may in fact be both spiritual and physical. If you have not yet, I recommend watching or re-watching Great Shaking, Great Awakening, as I will not repeat some of the important information there that provides a backdrop for this writing…

 

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Great Shaking, Great Awakening

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FOR several days now, the Lord has been preparing my heart to write about something that I have already spoken of to some extent: a coming “great shaking.” I strongly sensed tonight that the video Great Shaking, Great Awakening that I produced a year and a half ago needs to be watched again—that it is more relevant and important than ever. It is preparation for another writing on this subject that will follow shortly.

Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets… I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. (Amos 3:7; John 16:4)

I encourage you to watch this again, to pass it on, and stay tuned. Or as Jesus said, “Watch and pray.”

To watch Great Shaking, Great Awakening go to:

www.embracinghope.tv

 

Singularity

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THE first day on this ministry tour, I woke up with the word "singularity" in my heart. The Father is calling the Church to something radical, and that is to go in the opposite direction of the world, and totally seek Him. Contrasting the Gospel with a scene from WalMart that took place this past week, Mark reflects with His daughters on the deep inner hunger of every human soul for God in the newest Embracing Hope – Road Edition.

To watch Singularity, go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

…the challenge posed by a mentality closed to transcendence obliges Christians themselves to return in a more decisive way to the centrality of God… How often, despite calling themselves Christians, do the faithful not in fact make God the central point of reference in their way of thinking and acting, in their fundamental decisions in life? The first response to the great challenge of our time is then the profound conversion of our heart, so that the Baptism that made us the light of the world and the salt of the earth might truly transform us. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Address to Pontifical Council for the Laity, November 29th, 2011

 

On the Thin Side

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IN Message from the Road, I said it was "good news" that we are experiencing so many difficulties along the path to the Kingdom. But of course, the financial shortfall in our ministry is no small thing. With the growing economic turmoil in the world, more and more people are finding it difficult to make ends meet, or are holding on more tightly to their funds. As a result, this full-time ministry, which depends entirely upon the support of my readers, viewers, and those I meet on the road, has been experiencing a shortfall of thousands of dollars each month since the Spring. This has quickly piled up into debt as we’ve had to use credit just to pay the everyday bills.

My wife Lea and I trust in the Lord’s providence, He who time and again has provided for all our needs, often unexpectedly. You know that I rarely make appeals such as this for support, mostly because I don’t want to distract from the message that is freely given here. But there comes moments, such as now, where remaining silent means that I will also be prevented from being able to carry on my ministry for lack of needed resources in a world where "just living" costs a lot of money.

 

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A Beautiful Image…

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Embracing Hope by Léa Mallett

 

FOR my 30th birthday 14 years ago, my bride Lea surprised me with the very first of a number of treasured pieces of artwork she managed to paint for me on the sly. I’ll never forget the day I saw for the first time her "Embracing Hope" painting of Jesus. I truly felt His presence in a remarkable way through this painting, and intensely so for months after… and many of those graces remain. Through six consecutive moves since that time, it has taken a prominent place in our living rooms, bedrooms, and now on the backdrop in my webcast studio here on our little farm.

When I launched EmbracingHope.tv over 3 years ago, it only seemed fitting to use this powerful image to become the "icon" of that show. Since then, we have have had many a request to have the painting duplicated for others to enjoy. Lea and I have talked off and on about having limited edition prints done… but the logistics and expense of that was always too prohibitive.

In a late night conversation recently where Lea and I were sharing our concerns about how we are going to make ends meet this winter, Lea said to me "Mark, it’s time to make the image available to people in a way that is affordable, practical, and faith-building." So here’s what we have decided to offer you, my faithful readers and supporters…

Starting today, for every minimum $50 donated or spent in our online store this pre-Christmas season, we will give you a complimentary Embracing Hope Desk Calendar (with Christian calendar dates and a monthly prayer beneath the image) & a beautiful Embracing Hope Fridge Magnet (5 1/2" x 4 1/4" on glossy vinyl—it’s really a wonderful centerpiece in the kitchen!) 

Thank you SO much in advance for supporting our ministry in this way. Your support is needed more than ever in these trying economic5 1/2" x 4 1/4" on glossy vinyl times. I hope that Lea’s "Embracing Hope" icon will bring as many graces into your soul as it has mine.


Click here to make a donation to support this ministry.

 
Click here to purchase books or music in my store.

(…and by the way, we are still offering a 50% coupon for any donation of $75 or more. That’s half price off of any order!)

Merciless!

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IF the Illumination is to occur, an event comparable to the “awakening” of the Prodigal Son, then not only will humanity encounter the depravity of that lost son, the consequent mercy of the Father, but also the mercilessness of the elder brother.

It is interesting that in Christ’s parable, He does not tell us whether the elder son comes to accept the return of His little brother. In fact, the brother is angry.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. (Luke 15:25-28)

The remarkable truth is, not everyone in the world will accept the graces of the Illumination; some will refuse “to enter the house.” Is this not the case every day in our own lives? We are granted many moments for conversion, and yet, so often we choose our own misguided will over God’s, and harden our hearts a little bit more, at least in certain areas of our lives. Hell itself is full of people who willfully resisted saving grace in this life, and are thus without grace in the next. Human free will is at once an incredible gift while at the same time a serious responsibility, since it is the one thing that renders the omnipotent God helpless: He forces salvation upon no one even though He wills that all would be saved. [1]cf. 1 Tim 2:4

One of the dimensions of free will that restrains God’s ability to act within us is mercilessness…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. 1 Tim 2:4

Mark in Manitoba

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ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS

Soul-soothing music… life-giving message

led by
Mark Mallett

 

These are not normal times. Ask the average passerby if "something strange" is going on in the world, and the answer will almost always be "yes." But what? 

There will be a thousand answers, many of them conflicting, several speculating, often adding more confusion to the growing fear and despair beginning to grip a planet reeling from economic collapse, terrorism, and the upheaval of nature. Could there be a clear answer? 

Mark Mallett unfolds a stunning picture of our times built not upon flimsy arguments or questionable prophecies, but the solid words of the Church Fathers, modern Popes, and approved apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Encounter With Jesus is an evening of truth, hope, and mercy—music, prayer, and Adoration—that has brought healing and grace to souls across North America.

There will also be youth events with a special message tailored to them.

You are invited…

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The Coming Revelation of the Father

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ONE of the great graces of the Illumination is going to be the revelation of the Father’s love. For the great crisis of our time—the destruction of the family unit—is the loss of our identity as sons and daughters of God:

The crisis of fatherhood we are living today is an element, perhaps the most important, threatening man in his humanity. The dissolution of fatherhood and motherhood is linked to the dissolution of our being sons and daughters.  —POPE BENEDICT XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger), Palermo, March 15th, 2000 

At Paray-le-Monial, France, during the Sacred Heart Congress, I sensed the Lord saying that this moment of the prodigal son, the moment of the Father of Mercies is coming. Even though mystics speak of the Illumination as a moment of seeing the crucified Lamb or an illuminated cross, [1]cf. Revelation Illumination Jesus will reveal to us the Father’s love:

He who sees me sees the Father. (John 14:9)

It is “God, who is rich in mercy” whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is His very Son who, in Himself, has manifested Him and made Him known to us… It is especially for[sinners] that the Messiah becomes a particularly clear sign of God who is love, a sign of the Father. In this visible sign the people of our own time, just like the people then, can see the Father. —BLESSED JOHN PAUL II, Dives in misercordia, n. 1

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Footnotes

Missing the Message… of a Papal Prophet

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THE Holy Father has been greatly misunderstood not only by the secular press, but by some of the flock as well. [1]cf. Benedict and the New World Order Some have written me suggesting that perhaps this pontiff is an “anti-pope” in kahootz with the Antichrist! [2]cf. A Black Pope? How quickly some run from the Garden!

Pope Benedict XVI is not calling for a central all-powerful “global government”—something he and popes before him have outright condemned (ie. Socialism) [3]For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org —but a global family that places the human person and their inviolable rights and dignity at the center of all human development in society. Let us be absolutely clear on this:

The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) – a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, n. 28, December 2005

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Benedict and the New World Order
↑2 cf. A Black Pope?
↑3 For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org

Benedict and The New World Order

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SINCE the world economy began to sway like a drunken sailor on the high seas, there have been calls from several world leaders for a “new world order” (see The Writing on The Wall). It has led to many Christians becoming suspicious, perhaps rightly so, of ripening conditions for a global totalitarian power, what some might even identify as the “beast” of Revelation 13.

Which is why some Catholics were horrified when Pope Benedict XVI released his new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, that not only seemed to concede to a new world order, but even encourage it. It led to a flurry of articles from fundamentalist groups, waving “the smoking gun,” suggesting that Benedict is in collusion with the Antichrist. Likewise, even some Catholics appeared poised to abandon ship with a possible “apostate” pope at the helm.

And so, finally, I have taken a few weeks to carefully read the Encyclical—not just a few headlines or quotes taken out of context—in attempt to understand what is being said by the Holy Father.

 

Mark in Massachusetts & Rhode Island this Week!

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 COME AND ENCOUNTER JESUS!

 

Mark Mallett will be singing and speaking

at the following parishes this week:

 

Sunday, OCTOBER 23rd (7 – 9 pm)
Encounter With Jesus
National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette
(in the church)
947 Park Street
Attleboro, MA

ph) 508-222-5410

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Monday, OCTOBER 24th (7 – 9 pm)
Encounter With Jesus
Corpus Christi Parish
324 Quaker Meeting House Road
East Sandwich, MA

ph) 508-888-0209

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Tuesday, October 25th (7 – 9 pm)
Encounter With Jesus
St. Pius X Parish
44 Elm Street
Westerly, RI

ph) 401-596-2535

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Wednesday, October 26th (7 – 9 pm)
Encounter With Jesus
St. Christopher Parish
1660 Main Road
Tiverton RI

ph) 401-624-6644

 

The Great Revolution

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AS promised, I want to share more words and thoughts that came to me during my time in Paray-le-Monial, France.

 

ON THE THRESHOLD… A GLOBAL REVOLUTION

I strongly sensed the Lord saying that we are upon the “threshold” of immense changes, changes that are both painful and good. The biblical imagery used over and over again is that of labor pains. As any mother knows, labor is a very turbulent time—contractions followed by rest followed by more intense contractions until finally the baby is born… and the pain quickly becomes a memory.

The labor pains of the Church have been occurring over centuries. Two large contractions occurred in the schism between Orthodox (East) and Catholics (West) at the turn of the first millennium, and then again in the Protestant Reformation 500 years later. These revolutions shook the foundations of the Church, cracking her very walls such that the “smoke of Satan” was able to slowly seep in.

…the smoke of Satan is seeping into the Church of God through the cracks in the walls. —POPE PAUL VI, first Homily during the Mass for Sts. Peter & Paul, June 29, 1972

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Surprised by Love

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The Prodigal Son, the Return by Tissot Jacques Joseph, 1862

 

THE Lord has been speaking non-stop since I arrived here in Paray-le-Monial. So much so, that he has been waking me up to converse in the night! Yes, I would think I was crazy too if it were not for my spiritual director ordering me to listen!

As we watch the world descend into unprecedented paganism, the gap between rich and poor continue to grow, and the innocence of children increasingly endangered by hedonistic ideologies, there is a cry rising from the Body of Christ for God to intervene. I hear more frequently these days Christians calling out for the fire of God to fall and purify this earth.

But God has always surprised His people with mercy when justice was deserving, both in the New and Old Testaments. I believe the Lord is preparing to surprise us again in a most unprecedented way. I hope to share more of these thoughts with you over the next few days as the World Congress of the Sacred Heart begins this evening here in this little French town where the Sacred Heart was revealed to St. Marguerite-Mary.

 

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The Song of God

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I think we’ve got the whole "saint thing" wrong in our generation. Many think that becoming a Saint is this extraordinary ideal that only a handful of souls will ever be capable of achieving. That sanctity is a pious thought far out of reach. That as long as one avoids mortal sin and keeps his nose clean, he’ll still "make it" to Heaven—and that is good enough.

But in truth, friends, that is a terrible lie that keeps the children of God in bondage, that keeps souls in a state of unhappiness and dysfunction. It’s as big a lie as telling a goose that it cannot migrate.

 

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Straight Talk

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YES, it is coming, but for many Christians it is already here: the Passion of the Church. As the priest raised the Holy Eucharist this morning during Mass here in Nova Scotia where I just arrived to give a men’s retreat, his words took on new meaning: This is My Body which will be given up for you.

We are His Body. United to Him mystically, we too were “given up” that Holy Thursday to share in the sufferings of Our Lord, and thus, to share also in His Resurrection. “Only through suffering can one enter Heaven,” said the priest in his sermon. Indeed, this was Christ’s teaching and thus remains the constant teaching of the Church.

‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. (John 15:20)

Another retired priest is living out this Passion just up the coast line from here in the next province…

 

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Open Wide Your Heart

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Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)

 

 
JESUS addressed these words, not to pagans, but to the church in Laodicea. Yes, we the baptized need to open our hearts to Jesus.  And if we do, we can expect two things to happen.

 

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The Antidote

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FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF MARY

 

LATELY, I have been in a near hand-to-hand combat with a terrible temptation that I don’t have time. Don’t have time to pray, to work, to get done what needs to be done, etc. So I want to share some words from prayer that really impacted me this week. For they address not only my situation, but the entire problem affecting, or rather, infecting the Church today.

 

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