catechism

The Popes and the Dawning Era

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The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said:
“Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
for taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?”
(Job 38: 1, 12-13)

We thank you because your Son is to come again in majesty to
judge those who have refused to repent and acknowledge you;
while to all who have acknowledged you,
worshiped you, and served you in penitence, He will
say: Come, you blessed of my Father, take possession
of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning
of the world.
—St. Francis of Assisi,The Prayers of Saint Francis,
Alan Name, Tr. © 1988, New City Press

 

THERE can be no doubt that the pontiffs of the last century have been exercising their prophetic office so as to awaken believers to the drama unfolding in our day (see Why Aren’t the Popes Shouting?). It is a decisive battle between the culture of life and the culture of death… the woman clothed with the sun—in labor to give birth to a new era—versus the dragon who seeks to destroy it, if not attempt to establish his own kingdom and “new age” (see Rev 12:1-4; 13:2). But while we know Satan will fail, Christ will not. The great Marian saint, Louis de Montfort, frames it well:

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The Greatest Revolution

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THE world is ready for a great revolution. After thousands of years of so-called progress, we are no less barbaric than Cain. We think we are advanced, but many are clueless how to plant a garden. We claim to be civilized, yet we are more divided and in peril of mass self-destruction than any previous generation. It is no little thing that Our Lady has said through several prophets that “You are living in a time worse than the time of the Flood,” but she adds, “…and the moment has come for your return.”[1]June 18th, 2020, “Worse than the Flood” But return to what? To religion? To “traditional Masses”? To pre-Vatican II…?Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 June 18th, 2020, “Worse than the Flood”

The Coming Age of Love

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First published on October 4th, 2010. 

 

Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age… —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Homily, World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, July 20th, 2008

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Human Sexuality and Freedom – Part I

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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. 

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Creation Reborn

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THE “culture of death”, that Great Culling and The Great Poisoning, are not the final word. The havoc wreaked upon the planet by man is not the final say on human affairs. For neither the New nor the Old Testament speak of the end of the world after the influence and reign of the “beast.” Rather, they speak of a divine renovation of the earth where true peace and justice will reign for a time as the “knowledge of the Lord” spreads from sea to sea (cf. Is 11:4-9; Jer 31:1-6; Ezek 36:10-11; Mic 4:1-7; Zech 9:10; Matt 24:14; Rev 20:4).

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of nations will bow low before him. (Ps 22:28)

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New Holiness… or New Heresy?

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red-rose

 

FROM a reader in response to my writing on The Coming New and Divine Holiness:

Jesus Christ is the greatest Gift of all, and the good news is He is with us right now in all His fullness and power through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is now within the hearts of those who have been born again… now is the day of salvation. Right now, we, the redeemed are the sons of God and will be made manifest at the appointed time… we don’t need to wait on any so called secrets of some alleged apparition to be fulfilled or Luisa Piccarreta’s understanding of Living in the Divine Will in order for us to be made perfect…

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Key to the Woman

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Knowledge of the true Catholic doctrine regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary will always be a key to the exact understanding of the mystery of Christ and of the Church. —POPE PAUL VI, Discourse, November 21st, 1964

 

THERE is a profound key that unlocks why and how the Blessed Mother has such a sublime and powerful role in the lives of mankind, but particularly believers. Once one grasps this, not only does Mary’s role make more sense in salvation history and her presence more understood, but I believe, it will leave you wanting to reach for her hand more than ever.

The key is this: Mary is a prototype of the Church.

 

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Who Am I to Judge?

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Photo Reuters
 

 

THEY are words that, just a little under a year later, continue to echo throughout the Church and the world: “Who am I to judge?” They were Pope Francis’ response to a question posed to him regarding the “gay lobby” in the Church. Those words have become a battle cry: first, for those who wish to justify homosexual practice; second, for those wish to justify their moral relativism; and third, for those who wish to justify their assumption that Pope Francis is one notch short of the Antichrist.

This little quip of Pope Francis’ is actually a paraphrase of St. Paul’s words in the Letter of St. James, who wrote: “Who then are you to judge your neighbor?” [1]cf. Jam 4:12 The Pope’s words are now being splattered on t-shirts, fast becoming a motto gone viral…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Jam 4:12

Prowling for Pray

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Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. (1 Pet 5:8-9)

St. Peter’s words are frank. They should awaken every single one of us to a stark reality: we are being hunted daily, hourly, every second by a fallen angel and his minions. Few people understand this relentless assault on their souls. In fact, we live in a time where some theologians and clergy have not only downplayed the role of demons, but have denied their existence altogether. Perhaps it is divine providence in a way when movies such as the The Exorcism of Emily Rose or The Conjuring based on “true events” appear on the silver screen. If people do not believe in Jesus through the Gospel message, perhaps they will believe when they see His enemy at work. [1]Caution: these films are about real demonic possession and infestations and should only be watched in a state of grace and prayer. I have not seen The Conjuring, but highly recommend seeing The Exorcism of Emily Rose with its stunning and prophetic ending, with the aforementioned preparation.

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Caution: these films are about real demonic possession and infestations and should only be watched in a state of grace and prayer. I have not seen The Conjuring, but highly recommend seeing The Exorcism of Emily Rose with its stunning and prophetic ending, with the aforementioned preparation.

Possible… or Not?

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APTOPIX VATICAN PALM SUNDAYPhoto courtesy The Globe and Mail
 
 

IN light of recent historic events in the papacy, and this, the last working day of Benedict XVI, two current prophecies in particular are gaining traction among believers regarding the next pope. I am asked about them constantly in person as well as by email. So, I am compelled to finally give a timely response.

The problem is that the following prophecies are diametrically opposed to one another. One or both of them, therefore, cannot be true….

 

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Be Resolved

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FAITH is the oil which fills our lamps and prepares us for Christ’s coming (Matt 25). But how do we attain this faith, or rather, fill our lamps? The answer is through prayer. 

Prayer attends to the grace we need… —Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), n.2010

Many people begin the new year making a “New Year’s Resolution” — a promise to change a certain behavior or accomplish some goal. Then brothers and sisters, be resolved to pray. So few Catholics see the importance of God today because they no longer pray. If they prayed consistently, their hearts would be filled more and more with the oil of faith. They would encounter Jesus in a very personal way, and be convinced within themselves that He exists and is who He says He is. They would be given a divine wisdom by which to discern these days we live in, and more of a heavenly perspective of all things. They would encounter Him when they seek Him with a childlike trust…

…seek him in integrity of heart; because he is found by those who do not test him, and manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him. (Wisdom 1:1-2)

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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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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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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 →

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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What is Truth?

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Christ In Front Of Pontius Pilate by Henry Coller

 

Recently, I was attending an event where a young man with a baby in his arms approached me. “Are you Mark Mallett?” The young father went on to explain that, several years ago, he came across my writings. “They woke up me up,” he said. “I realized I had to get my life together and stay focused. Your writings have been helping me ever since.” 

Those familiar with this website know that the writings here seem to dance between both encouragement and the “warning”; hope and reality; the need to stay grounded and yet focused, as a Great Storm begins to swirl around us. “Stay sober” Peter and Paul wrote. “Watch and pray” Our Lord said. But not in a spirit of morose. Not in spirit of fear, rather, joyful anticipation of all that God can and will do, no matter how dark the night becomes. I confess, it’s a real balancing act for somedays as I weigh which “word” is more important. In truth, I could often write you every day. The problem is that most of you have a difficult enough time keeping up as it is! That’s why I’m praying about re-introducing a short webcast format…. more on that later. 

So, today was no different as I sat in front of my computer with several words on my mind: “Pontius Pilate… What is Truth?… Revolution… the Passion of the Church…” and so on. So I searched my own blog and found this writing of mine from 2010. It summarizes all of these thoughts together! So I have republished it today with a few comments here and there to update it. I send it in hopes that perhaps one more soul who is asleep will awaken.

First published December 2nd, 2010…

 

 

“WHAT is truth?” That was Pontius Pilate’s rhetorical response to Jesus’ words:

For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. (John 18:37)

Pilate’s question is the turning point, the hinge on which the door to Christ’s final Passion was to be opened. Until then, Pilate resisted handing Jesus over to death. But after Jesus identifies Himself as the source of truth, Pilate caves into the pressure, caves into relativism, and decides to leave the fate of Truth in the hands of the people. Yes, Pilate washes his hands of Truth itself.

If the body of Christ is to follow its Head into its own Passion— what the Catechism calls “a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers,” [1]CCC 675 — then I believe we too will see the time when our persecutors will dismiss the natural moral law saying, “What is truth?”; a time when the world will also wash its hands of the “sacrament of truth,”[2]CCC 776, 780 the Church herself.

Tell me brothers and sisters, has this not already begun?

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 CCC 675
↑2 CCC 776, 780

Time to Set Our Faces

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WHEN it came time for Jesus to enter His Passion, He set His face toward Jerusalem. It is time for the Church to set her face toward her own Calvary as the storm clouds of persecution continue to gather on the horizon. In the next episode of Embracing Hope TV, Mark explains how Jesus prophetically signals the spiritual condition necessary for the Body of Christ to follow its Head on the Way of the Cross, in this Final Confrontation that the Church is now facing…

 To watch this episode, go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

 

Measuring God

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IN a recent letter exchange, an atheist said to me,

If sufficient evidence was shown to me, I would start witnessing for Jesus tomorrow. I don’t know what that evidence would be, but I’m sure an all-powerful, all-knowing deity such as Yahweh would know what it would take to get me to believe. So that means Yahweh must not want me to believe (at least at this time), otherwise Yahweh could show me the evidence.

Is it that God does not want this atheist to believe at this time, or is it that this atheist is not prepared to believe in God? That is, is he applying the principles of the “scientific method” to the Creator Himself?Continue reading →

A Painful Irony

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I have spent several weeks dialoguing with an atheist. There’s perhaps no better exercise to build one’s faith. The reason being is that irrationality is a sign itself of the supernatural, for confusion and spiritual blindness are hallmarks of the prince of darkness. There are some mysteries the atheist cannot solve, questions he cannot answer, and some aspects of human life and the origins of the universe that cannot be explained by science alone. But this he will deny by either ignoring the subject, minimizing the question at hand, or ignoring scientists who refute his position and only quoting those who do. He leaves many painful ironies in the wake of his “reasoning.”

 

 

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