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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Be Strong!

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Pick Up Your Cross, by Melinda Velez

 

ARE you feeling the weariness of the battle? As my spiritual director often says (who is also a diocesan priest), “Anyone who is trying to be holy today is going through the fire.”

Yes, that is true at all times in all periods of the Christian Church. But there is something different about our day. It’s as if the very bowels of hell have been emptied, and the adversary is disturbing not only the nations, but most especially and implacably every soul consecrated to God. Let us be honest and plain, brothers and sisters: the spirit of antichrist is everywhere today, having seeped like smoke even into the cracks in the Church. But where Satan is strong, God is always stronger!

This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:3-4)

This morning in prayer, the following thoughts came to me:

Take courage, child. To begin again is to be re-immersed in My Sacred Heart, a living flame that consumes all your sin and that which is not of Me. Remain in Me that I may purify and renew you. For to leave the Flames of Love is to enter into the cold of the flesh where every misdeed and evil is conceivable. Is it not simple, child? And yet it is also very difficult, because it demands your full attention; it demands that you resist your evil inclinations and tendencies. It demands a fight—a battle! And so, you must be willing to enter upon the way of the Cross… else you be swept away along the wide and easy road.

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Conferences and New Album Update

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES

This fall, I will be leading two conferences, one in Canada and the other in the United States:

 

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND HEALING CONFERENCE

September 16-17th, 2011

St. Lambert Parish, Sioux Falls, South Daktoa, U.S.

For more information on registration, contact:

Kevin Lehan
605-413-9492
Email: [email protected]

www.ajoyfulshout.com

Brochure: click here

 

 

 A TIME FOR MERCY
5th Men’s Annual Retreat

September 23-25th, 2011

Annapolis Basin Conference Centre
Cornwallis Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

For more info:
Phone:
(902) 678-3303

Email:
[email protected]


 

NEW ALBUM

This past weekend, we wrapped up the "bed sessions" for my next album. I am absolutely thrilled with where this is going and am looking forward to releasing this new CD early next year. It’s a gentle blend of story and love songs, as well as some spiritual tunes on Mary and of course Jesus. While that may seem like a strange mix, I don’t think so at all. The ballads on the album deal with the common themes of loss, remembering, love, suffering… and give an answer to it all: Jesus.

We have 11 songs left that can be sponsored by individuals, families, etc. In sponsoring a song, you can help me raise more funds to finish this album. Your name, if you wish, and a short message of dedication, will appear in the CD insert. You can sponsor a song for $1000. If you are interested, contact Colette:

[email protected]

 

Recalibrate Your Heart

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THE heart is a finely tuned instrument. It is also delicate. The "narrow and rough" road of the Gospel, and all the bumps we encounter along the way, can throw the heart out of calibration. Temptations, trials, suffering… they can shake the heart such that we lose focus and direction. Understanding and recognizing this innate weakenss of the soul is half the battle: if you know your heart needs to be recalibrated, then you’re halfway there. But many, if not most professing Christians, don’t even realize their hearts are out of sync. Just as a pacemaker can recalibrate the physical heart, so too we need to apply a spiritual pacemaker to our own hearts, for every human being has "heart trouble" to one degree or another while walking in this world.

 

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The Power of the Cross

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PERHAPS the reason many of us are not growing in holiness is because we misunderstand how the power of God is applied in our lives. Mark explains in this episode how the transforming power of God works in a Christian’s life, and how it’s not too late for anyone to become a saint…

To watch The Power of the Cross, go to www.embracinghope.tv

Landslide!

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THOSE who have been following the prophetic pulse in the Church will likely not be surprised at the turn of world events unfolding by the hour. A Global Revolution is slowly picking up steam as the foundations of the post-modern world begin to give way to a “new order.” Hence, we have arrived at the epic hours of our time, a final confrontation between good and evil, between a culture of life and a culture of death. The wobbling economy, wars, and even environmental degradation are merely the fruits of a bad tree, planted through the lies of Satan through the Enlightenment period over 400 years ago. Today, we are merely reaping what has been sown, tended to by false shepherds, and guarded by wolves, even among Christ’s flock. For perhaps, one of the greatest signs of the times is the growing doubt in the existence of God. And it makes sense. As chaos continues to take the place of Christ, violence displacing peace, insecurity replacing stability, the human reaction is to blame God (instead of recognizing that free will has the capacity to destroy itself). How could God allow hunger? Suffering? Genocide? The answer is how could He not, without trampling upon our human dignity and free will. Indeed, Christ came to show us the way out of the valley of the shadow of death, which we created—not abolish it. Not yet, not until the plan of salvation has reached its fulfillment. [1]cf. 1 Cor 15:25-26

All of this, it seems, is preparing the world for a false christ, a false messiah to pull it out of a death plunge. And yet, this is nothing new: all of this has been foretold in the Scriptures, expounded on by the Church Fathers, and increasingly rolled into focus by the modern pontiffs. No one knows the timing, at least of the whole. But to suggest that it is not a possibility in our era, given all the signs, is woefully shortsighted. It was said best by Paul VI:

There is a great uneasiness at this time in the world and in the Church, and that which is in question is the faith. It so happens now that I repeat to myself the obscure phrase of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke: ‘When the Son of Man returns, will He still find faith on the earth?’…I sometimes read the Gospel passage of the end times and I attest that, at this time, some signs of this end are emerging. Are we close to the end? This we will never know. We must always hold ourselves in readiness, but everything could last a very long time yet.  —POPE PAUL VI, The Secret Paul VI, Jean Guitton, p. 152-153, Reference (7), p. ix.

It is with that, that I turn back to some words I sensed Heaven saying in 2008. Here, I also share some prophetic words from others that should be discerned, though I make no final claims on their authenticity. I also include here a recent word attributed to the Mother of God at a famous apparition site.

We are it seems, brothers and sisters, living in the times of the Great Landslide…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. 1 Cor 15:25-26

Conquering Fear In Our Times

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Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple, by Michael D. O’Brien.

 

LAST week, the Holy Father sent 29 newly ordained priests into the world asking them to “proclaim and witness to joy.” Yes! We must all continue to witness to others the joy of knowing Jesus.

But many Christians do not even feel joy, let alone witness to it. In fact, many are full of stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of abandonment as the pace of life quickens, the cost of living increases, and they watch the news headlines unfold around them. “How,” some ask, “can I be joyful?”

 

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A Woman and a Dragon

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IT is one of the most remarkable ongoing miracles in modern times, and the majority of Catholics are likely unaware of it. Chapter Six in my book, The Final Confrontation, deals with the incredible miracle of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and how it relates to Chapter 12 in the Book of Revelation. Due to widespread myths that have been accepted as facts, however, my original version has been revised to reflect the verified scientific realities surrounding the tilma upon which the image remains as in inexplicable phenomenon. The miracle of the tilma needs no embellishment; it stands on its own as a great “sign of the times.”

I have published Chapter Six below for those who already have my book. The Third Printing is now available for those who would like to order additional copies, which includes the information below and any typographical corrections found.

Note: the footnotes below are numbered differently than the printed copy.Continue reading →

World Congress and Book, CD

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THIS coming October 6th-11th, I will be attending the First Sacred Heart World Congress in Paray-le-Monial, France, where the revelations of the Sacred Heart were given to St. Margaret Mary. This Congress is undoubtedly part of the final thrusts of "the last effort" to make known Christ’s Sacred Heart to the world, and the Divine Mercy that flows from it. 

Pray about joining me there for a time of prayer and reflection, and I believe, commissioning to become a part of God’s last effort toward mankind. For more information, go to:

www.sacredheartapostolate.org

 

 

 

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Of the Sabbath

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SOLMENITY OF ST. PETER AND PAUL

 

THERE is a hidden side to this apostolate that from time to time makes its way to this column—the letter writing that goes back and forth between myself and atheists, unbelievers, doubters, skeptics, and of course, the Faithful. For the past two years, I have been dialoguing with a Seventh Day Adventist. The exchange has been peaceful and respectful, even though the gap between some of our beliefs remains. The following is a response I wrote to him last year regarding why the Sabbath is no longer practiced on Saturday in the Catholic Church and generally all of Christendom. His point? That the Catholic Church has broken the Fourth Commandment [1]the traditional Catechetical formula lists this commandment as Third by altering the day on which the Israelites “kept holy” the Sabbath. If this is the case, then there are grounds to suggest that the Catholic Church is not the true Church as she claims, and that the fullness of truth resides elsewhere.

We pick up our dialogue here about whether or not Christian Tradition is founded solely upon Scripture without the infallible interpretation of the Church…

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 the traditional Catechetical formula lists this commandment as Third

Time, Time, Time…

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WHERE does the time go? Is it just me, or are events and time itself seeming to whirl by at breakneck speed? It’s already the end of June. The days are getting shorter now in the Northern Hemisphere. There is a sense among many people that time has taken on an ungodly acceleration.

We are heading towards the end of time. Now the more we approach the end of time, the more quickly we proceed—this is what’s extraordinary. There is, as it were, a very significant acceleration in time; there’s an acceleration in time just as there’s an acceleration in speed. And we go faster and faster. We must be very attentive to this to understand what is happening in today’s world. —Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P., The Catholic Church at the End of an Age, Ralph Martin, p. 15-16

I’ve already written about this in The Shortening of Days and The Spiral of Time. And what is it with the reoccurrence of 1:11 or 11:11? Not everyone sees it, but many do, and it always seems to carry a word… time is short… it’s the eleventh hour… the scales of justice are tipping (see my writing 11:11). What’s funny is that you can’t believe how difficult it has been to find time to write this meditation!

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When Cedars Fall

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Wail, you cypress trees, for the cedars are fallen,
the mighty have been despoiled. Wail, you oaks of Bashan,
for the impenetrable forest is cut down!
Hark! the wailing of the shepherds,
their glory has been ruined. (Zech 11:2-3)

 

THEY have fallen, one by one, bishop after bishop, priest after priest, ministry after ministry (not to mention, father after father and family after family). And not just little trees—major leaders in the Catholic Faith have fallen like great cedars in a forest.

In a glance over just the past three years, we have seen a stunning collapse of some of the tallest figures in the Church today. The answer for some Catholics has been to hang up their crosses and “quit” the Church; others have taken to the blogosphere to vigorously raze the fallen, while others have engaged in haughty and heated debates in the plethora of religious forums. And then there are those who are quietly weeping or merely sitting in stunned silence as they listen to the echo of these sorrows reverberating throughout the world.

For months now, the words of Our Lady of Akita—given official recognition by no less than the present Pope when he was still Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—have been faintly repeating themselves in the back of my mind:

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A Priest In My Own Home – Part II

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I AM the spiritual head of my wife and children. When I said, “I do,” I entered into a Sacrament in which I promised to love and honor my wife until death. That I would raise the children God may give us according to the Faith. This is my role, it is my duty. It is the first matter upon which I will be judged at the end of my life, after whether or not I have loved the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and strength.Continue reading →

A Priest In My Own Home

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I remember a young man coming to my house several years ago with marital problems. He wanted my advice, or so he said. “She won’t listen to me!” he complained. “Isn’t she supposed to submit to me? Don’t the Scriptures say that I am the head of my wife? What’s her problem!?” I knew the relationship well enough to know that his view of himself was seriously skewed. So I replied, “Well, what does St. Paul say again?”:Continue reading →

Sowing Seeds

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FOR the first time in my life, I seeded a pasture this past weekend. Once again, I experienced in my soul the tremendous dance of the creature with His Creator to the rhythm of creation. It is an incredible thing to co-operate with God to foster new life. All the lessons of the Gospels came pouring back to me… about the seed falling into weeds, rocky, or good soil. As we we wait patiently for rain to water our parched fields, even St. Iraenaeus had something to say yesterday on the feast of Pentecost:

… like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above [the Holy Spirit]. —Liturgy of the Hours, Vol II, p. 1026

It has not only been my fields, but my heart that has been dry these past few weeks. Prayer has been difficult, temptations have been relentless, and at times, I have even doubted my calling. And then the rains came—your letters. To be honest, they often move me to tears, because when I write to you or produce a webcast, I remain behind a veil of poverty; I don’t know what God is doing, if anything… and then letters such as these come along:

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Catholic Fundamentalist?

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FROM a reader:

I have been reading your “deluge of false prophets” series, and to tell you the truth, I am a little concerned. Let me explain… I am a recent convert to the Church. I was once a fundamentalist Protestant Pastor of the “meanest kind”—I was a bigot! Then someone gave me a book by Pope John Paul II— and I fell in love with this man’s writing. I resigned as Pastor in 1995 and in 2005 I came into the Church. I went to Franciscan University (Steubenville) and got a Masters in Theology.

But as I read your blog—I saw something I did not like—an image of myself 15 years ago. I am wondering, because I swore when I left Fundamentalist Protestantism that I would not substitute one fundamentalism for another. My thoughts: be careful you do not become so negative that you lose sight of the mission.

Is it possible that there is such an entity as “Fundamentalist Catholic?” I worry about the heteronomic element in your message.

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More on False Prophets

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WHEN my spiritual director asked me to write further about “false prophets,” I pondered on how they are often defined in our day. Usually, people view “false prophets” as those who predict the future incorrectly. But when Jesus or the Apostles spoke of false prophets, they were usually speaking about those within the Church who led others astray by either failing to speak the truth, watering it down, or preaching a different gospel altogether…

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

 

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Deluge of False Prophets – Part II

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First published April 10th, 2008. 

 

WHEN I heard several months ago about Oprah Winfrey’s aggressive promotion of New Age spirituality, an image of a deep sea angler came to mind. The fish suspends a self-illuminated light in front of its mouth, which attracts prey. Then, when the prey takes enough interest to get close…

Several years ago, the words kept coming to me, “The gospel according to Oprah.” Now we see why.  

 

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The Ark for All Nations

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THE Ark God has provided to ride out not only the storms of past centuries, but most especially the Storm at the end of this age, is not a barque of self-preservation, but a ship of salvation intended for the world. That is, our mentality must not be “saving our own behinds” while the rest of the world drifts away into a sea of destruction.

We cannot calmly accept the rest of humanity falling back again into paganism. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), The New Evangelization, Building the Civilization of Love; Address to Catechists and Religion Teachers, December 12, 2000

It’s not about “me an’ Jesus,” but Jesus, me, and my neighbour.

How could the idea have developed that Jesus’ message is narrowly individualistic and aimed only at each person singly? How did we arrive at this interpretation of the “salvation of the soul” as a flight from responsibility for the whole, and how did we come to conceive the Christian project as a selfish search for salvation which rejects the idea of serving others? —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Spe Salvi (Saved In Hope), n. 16

So too, we have to avoid the temptation to run and hide somewhere in the wilderness until the Storm passes (unless the Lord is saying one should do so). This is “the time of mercy,” and more than ever, souls need to “taste and see” in us the life and presence of Jesus. We need to become signs of hope to others. In a word, each of our hearts needs to become an “ark” for our neighbour.

 

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Benedict, and the End of the World

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PopePlane.jpg

 

 

 

It’s May 21, 2011, and the mainstream media, as usual, are more than ready to pay attention to those who brandish the name “Christian,” but espouse heretical, if not crazy ideas (see articles here and here. My apologies to those readers in Europe for whom the world ended eight hours ago. I should have sent this earlier). 

 Is the world ending today, or in 2012? This meditation was first published December 18th, 2008…

 

 

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The Ark and Non-Catholics

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SO, what about non-Catholics? If the Great Ark is the Catholic Church, what does this mean for those who reject Catholicism, if not Christianity itself?

Before we look at these questions, it is necessary to address the protruding issue of credibility in the Church, which today, is in tatters…

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Will I Run Too?

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Crucifixion, by Michael D. O’Brien

 

AS I watched again the powerful movie The Passion of the Christ, I was struck by Peter’s pledge that he would go to prison, and even die for Jesus! But only hours later, Peter vehemently denied Him three times. At that moment, I sensed my own poverty: “Lord, without your grace, I will betray you too…”

How can we be faithful to Jesus in these days of confusion, scandal, and apostasy? [1]cf. The Pope, a Condom, and the Purification of the Church How can we be assured that we too will not flee the Cross? Because it’s happening all around us already. Since the beginning of this writing apostolate, I have sensed the Lord speaking of a Great Sifting of the “weeds from among the wheat.” [2]cf. Weeds Among the Wheat That in fact a schism is already forming in the Church, though not yet fully in the open. [3]cf. Sorrow of Sorrows This week, the Holy Father spoke of this sifting at Holy Thursday Mass.

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Footnotes

In the Days of Lot

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Lot Fleeing Sodom, Benjamin West, 1810

 

THE waves of confusion, calamity, and uncertainty are pounding upon the doors of every nation on earth. As food and fuel prices soar and the world economy sinks like an anchor to the seabed, there is much talk of refuges—safe-havens to weather the approaching Storm. But there is a danger facing some Christians today, and that is to fall into a self-preservationist spirit that is becoming more prevalent. Survivalist websites, ads for emergency kits, power generators, food cookers, and gold and silver offerings… the fear and paranoia today is palpable as insecurity mushrooms. But God is calling His people to a different spirit than that of the world. A spirit of absolute trust.

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The Coming Refuges and Solitudes

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THE Age of Ministries is ending… but something more beautiful is going to arise. It will be a new beginning, a restored Church in a new era. In fact, it was Pope Benedict XVI who hinted at this very thing while he was still a cardinal:

The Church will be reduced in its dimensions, it will be necessary to start again. However, from this test a Church would emerge that will have been strengthened by the process of simplification it experienced, by its renewed capacity to look within itself… the Church will be numerically reduced. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), God and the World, 2001; interview with Peter Seewald

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Church and State?

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WE hear it more and more today: there needs to be a greater separation between Church and State. But what is really meant by some is that the Church simply needs to disappear. In this prophetic and instructive webcast, Mark sets the record straight as to what the proper role of the Church and State are in human affairs… and how the Church urgently needs to raise her voice of truth at this late hour.

 To watch Church and State? go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video, allow it to download completely while on pause, and then watch it. Also see our Help page. (The alternative site is here.)

Like a Thief

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THE past 24 hours since writing After the Illumination, the words have been echoing in my heart: Like a thief in the night…

Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,and they will not escape. (1 Thess 5:2-3)

Many have applied these words to the Second Coming of Jesus. Indeed, the Lord will come at an hour that no one but the Father knows. But if we read the above text carefully, St. Paul is speaking about the coming of the “day of the Lord,” and what comes suddenly are like “labor pains.” In my last writing, I explained how the “day of the Lord” is not a single day or event, but a period of time, according to Sacred Tradition. Thus, that which leads up to and ushers in the Day of the Lord are precisely those labor pains that Jesus spoke of [1]Matt 24: 6-8; Luke 21:9-11 and St. John saw in the vision of The Seven Seals of Revolution.

They too, for many, will come like a thief in the night.

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Matt 24: 6-8; Luke 21:9-11

The Season of Faith

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WATCHING the snow fall outside the window of my retreat, here at the base of the Canadian Rockies, this writing from the Fall of 2008 came to mind. God bless you all… you are with me in my heart and prayers…


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Quest for Freedom

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Thanks to all those who responded to my computer woes here and donated so generously your alms and prayers. I have been able to replace my broken computer (however, I am experiencing several “glitches” in getting back on my feet… technology…. ain’t it great?) I am so deeply grateful to all of you for your words of encouragement and tremendous support of this ministry. I am eager to continue to serve you as long as the Lord sees fit. During the next week, I am in retreat. Hopefully when I get back, I can solve some of the software and hardware issues that have suddenly come up. Please remember me in your prayers… the spiritual oppression against this ministry has become tangible.


“EGYPT is free! Egypt is free!” cried protesters after learning that their decades old dictatorship was finally coming to an end. President Hosni Mubarak and his family have fled the country, driven out by the hunger of millions of Egyptians for freedom. Indeed, what force is there in man stronger than his thirst for true freedom?

It has been captivating and emotional to watch strongholds fall. Mubarak is one of many more leaders who are likely going to topple in the unfolding Global Revolution. And yet, many dark clouds hang over this growing insurgence. In the quest for freedom, will true freedom prevail?


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Ow

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WELL, I figured it would happen sooner or later. My computer died. After three years of faithful service to this blog, my computer has gone to micro-chip heaven (though purgatory is not out of the question.)

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Why Religion?

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MANY people believe in God, but say they want nothing to do with religion. "It creates division, war, and scandal," they object. So, if I have a relationship with God, and I pray, do I need religion? In this episode, Mark looks at where religions have come from and why, in particular, we have the Catholic religion. Do we need religion after all?

To watch Why Religion? go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

*NOTE*: Dear friends, I receive and read each and every email you send. But I confess, I am overwhelmed with the volume. I will try to reply, but I cannot always. If you heart moves you, write. If I can’t reply, please understand and know that I hold you still in my prayers.


 

My People Are Perishing

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Peter Martyr Enjoins Silence, Fra Angelico

 

EVERYONE’S talking about it. Hollywood, secular newspapers, news anchors, evangelical Christians… everyone, it seems, but the bulk of the Catholic Church. As more and more people are attempting to grapple with the extreme events of our time —from bizarre weather patterns, to animals dying en masse, to frequent terrorist attacks—the times we are living in have become, from a pew-persepective, the proverbial “elephant in the living room.” Most everyone senses to one degree or another that we are living in an extraordinary moment. It’s jumping out of the headlines every day. Yet the pulpits in our Catholic parishes are often silent…

Thus, the confused Catholic is often left to Hollywood’s hopeless end-of-world scenarios that leave the planet either without a future, or a future salvaged by aliens. Or is left with the atheistic rationalizations of the secular media. Or the heretical interpretations of some Christian sects (just cross-your-fingers-and-hang-on-until-the-rapture). Or the ongoing stream of “prophecies” from Nostradamus, new age occultists, or hieroglyphic rocks.

 

 

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Come Out of Babylon!

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“Dirty City” by Dan Krall

 

 

FOUR years ago, I heard a strong word in prayer that has been growing recently in intensity. And so, I need to speak from the heart the words I hear again:

Come out of Babylon!

Babylon is symbolic of a culture of sin and indulgence. Christ is calling His people OUT of this  “city”, out from the yoke of the spirit of this age, out of the decadence, materialism, and sensuality which has plugged its gutters, and is overflowing into the hearts and homes of His people.

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Depart from her, my people, so as not to take part in her sins and receive a share in her plagues, for her sins are piled up to the sky… (Revelation 18:4-5)

The “her” in this Scripture passage is “Babylon,” which Pope Benedict recently interpreted as…

…the symbol of the world’s great irreligious cities… —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Roman Curia, December 20th, 2010

In Revelation, Babylon suddenly falls:

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit, a cage for every unclean bird, a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast…Alas, alas, great city, Babylon, mighty city. In one hour your judgment has come. (Rev 18:2, 10)

And thus the warning: 

Come out of Babylon!

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The Basics

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St. Francis Preaching to the Birds, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone

 

EVERY Catholic is called to share the Good News… but do we even know what the "Good News" is, and how to explain it to others? In this newest episode on Embracing Hope, Mark gets back to the basics of our faith, explaining very simply what the Good News is, and what our response must be. Evangelization 101!

To watch The Basics, go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

NEW CD UNDERWAY… ADOPT A SONG!

Mark is just finishing the last touches on songwriting for a new music CD. Production is to begin soon with a release date for later in 2011. The theme is songs that deal with loss, fidelity, and family, with healing and hope through Christ’s Eucharistic love. To help raise funds for this project, we would like to invite individuals or families to "adopt a song" for $1000. Your name, and who you want the song dedicated to, will be included in the CD notes if you so choose. There will be about 12 songs on the project, so first come, first serve. If you are interested in sponsoring a song, contact Mark here.

We will keep you posted of further developments! In the meantime, for those new to Mark’s music, you can listen to samples here. All prices on CD’s were recently reduced in the online store. For those who wish to subscribe to this newsletter and receive all Mark’s blogs, webcasts, and news regarding CD releases, click Subscribe.

The Land is Mourning

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SOMEONE wrote recently asking what my take is on the dead fish and birds showing up all over the world. First of all, this has been happening now in growing frequency over the past couple of years. Several species are suddenly "dying" in huge numbers. Is it the result of natural causes? Human invasion? Technological intrusion? Scientific weaponry?

Given where we are at in this time in human history; given the strong warnings issued from Heaven; given the powerful words of the Holy Fathers over this past century… and given the godless course that mankind has now pursued, I believe Scripture does indeed have an answer to what in the world is going on with our planet:

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All the Nations?

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FROM a reader:

In a homily on February 21st, 2001, Pope John Paul welcomed, in his words, “people from every part of the world.” He went on to say,

You come from 27 countries on four continents and speak various languages. Is this not a sign of the Church’s ability, now that she has spread to every corner of the globe, to understand peoples with different traditions and languages, in order to bring to all the message of Christ? —JOHN PAUL II, Homily, Feb 21, 2001; www.vatica.va

Would this not constitute a fulfillment of Matt 24:14 where it says:

This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come (Matt 24:14)?

 

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An Ox and an Ass

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“The Nativity”, Lorenzo Monaco; 1409

 

First published December 27th, 2006

 

Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?  —What Child Is This?,  Christmas Carol

 

NO retinue of guards. No legion of angels. Not even the welcome mat of the High Priests. God, incarnate in the flesh, is greeted into the world by an ox and ass.

While the early Fathers interpreted these two creatures as symbolic of the Jews and pagans, and thus all of humanity, a further interpretation came to mind at Midnight Mass.

 

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