First published June 5th, 2013…
IF I may recall briefly here a powerful experience about ten years ago when I felt driven to go to the church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament…
mark
These Times of Antichrist
The world at the approach of a new millennium,
for which the whole Church is preparing,
is like a field ready for the harvest.
—ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II, World Youth Day, homily, August 15th, 1993
THE Catholic world has been abuzz recently with the release of a letter written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI essentially stating that the Antichrist is alive. The letter was sent in 2015 to Vladimir Palko, a retired Bratislava statesman who lived through the Cold War. The late pope wrote:Continue reading
An Unapologetic Apocalyptic View
…there is none more blind than he who does not want to see,
and despite the signs of the times foretold,
even those who have faith
refuse to look at what is happening.
—Our Lady to Gisella Cardia, October 26th, 2021
I AM supposed to be embarrassed by this article’s title — ashamed to utter the phrase “end times” or quote the Book of Revelation much less dare to mention Marian apparitions. Such antiquities supposedly belong in the dust bin of medieval superstitions alongside archaic beliefs in “private revelation”, “prophecy” and those ignominious expressions of “the mark of the beast” or “Antichrist.” Yes, better to leave them to that garish era when Catholic churches billowed with incense as they churned out saints, priests evangelized pagans, and commoners actually believed that faith could drive away plagues and demons. In those days, statues and icons not only adorned churches but public buildings and homes. Imagine that. The “dark ages” — enlightened atheists call them.Continue reading
The Enemy is Within the Gates
THERE is a scene in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings where Helms Deep is under attack. It was supposed to be an impenetrable stronghold, surrounded by the massive Deeping Wall. But a vulnerable spot is discovered, which the forces of darkness exploit by causing all kinds of distraction and then planting and igniting an explosive. Moments before a torch runner reaches the wall to light the bomb, he is spotted by one of the heroes, Aragorn. He yells to the archer Legolas to take him down… but it’s too late. The wall explodes and is breached. The enemy is now within the gates. Continue reading
On the Threshold
THIS week, a deep, inexplicable sadness came over me, as it has in the past. But I know now what this is: it is a drop of sadness from the Heart of God—that man has rejected Him to the point of bringing humanity to this painful purification. It is the sadness that God was not allowed to triumph over this world through love but must do so, now, through justice.Continue reading
The Reign of Antichrist
COULD the Antichrist already be on earth? Will he be revealed in our times? Join Mark Mallett and Prof. Daniel O’Connor as they explain how the edifice is in place for the long foretold “man of sin”…Continue reading
St. Raphael's Little Healing
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday, June 5th, 2015
Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Liturgical texts here
St. Raphael, “Medicine of God”
IT was late dusk, and a blood moon was rising. I was entranced by its deep color as I wandered through the horses. I had just layed out their hay and they were quietly munching. The full moon, the fresh snow, the peaceful murmur of satisfied animals … it was a tranquil moment.
Until what felt like a bolt of lightning shot through my knee.
The Progression of Totalitarianism
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Third Week of Lent, March 12th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
Joseph Sold Into Slavery by His Brothers by Damiano Mascagni (1579-1639)
WITH the death of logic, we are not far from when not only truth, but Christians themselves, will be banished from the public sphere (and it’s already begun). At least, this is the warning from the seat of Peter:
Knowing Jesus
HAVE you ever met someone who is passionate about their subject? A skydiver, horse-back rider, a sports fan, or an anthropologist, scientist, or antique restorer who lives and breathes their hobby or career? While they can inspire us, and even spark an interest in us toward their subject, Christianity is different. For it is not about the passion of yet another lifestyle, philosophy, or even religious ideal.
The essence of Christianity is not an idea but a Person. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, spontaneous speech to the clergy of Rome; Zenit, May 20th, 2005
What it Means to Welcome Sinners
THE call of the Holy Father for the Church to become more of a “field hospital” to “heal the wounded” is a very beautiful, timely, and perceptive pastoral vision. But what exactly needs healing? What are the wounds? What does it mean to “welcome” sinners aboard the Barque of Peter?
Essentially, what is “Church” for?
The Thin Line Between Mercy and Heresy – Part III
PART III — FEARS REVEALED
SHE fed and clothed the poor with love; she nurtured minds and hearts with the Word. Catherine Doherty, foundress of the Madonna House apostolate, was a woman who took on the “smell of the sheep” without taking on the “stench of sin.” She constantly walked the thin line between mercy and heresy by embracing the greatest of sinners while calling them to holiness. She used to say,
Go without fears into the depths of men’s hearts… the Lord shall be with you. —from The Little Mandate
This is one of those “words” from the Lord that is able to penetrate “between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” [1]cf. Heb 4:12 Catherine uncovers the very root of the problem with both so-called “conservatives” and “liberals” in the Church: it is our fear to enter men’s hearts as Christ did.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Heb 4:12 |
|---|
The Thin Line Between Mercy & Heresy – Part II
PART II — Reaching the Wounded
WE have watched a rapid cultural and sexual revolution that in five short decades has decimated the family as divorce, abortion, redefinition of marriage, euthanasia, pornography, adultery, and many other ills have become not only acceptable, but deemed a social “good” or “right.” However, an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, drug use, alcohol abuse, suicide, and ever multiplying psychoses tell a different story: we are a generation that is bleeding profusely from the effects of sin.
The Thin Line Between Mercy & Heresy – Part I
IN all the controversies that unfolded in the wake of the recent Synod in Rome, the reason for the gathering seemed to have been lost altogether. It was convened under the theme: “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization.” How do we evangelize families given the pastoral challenges we face due to high divorce rates, single mothers, secularization, and so forth?
What we learned very quickly (as proposals of some Cardinals were made known to the public) is that there is a a thin line between mercy and heresy.
The following three part series is intended to not only get back to the heart of the matter—evangelizing families in our times—but to do so by bringing to the forefront the man who is really at the center of the controversies: Jesus Christ. Because no one walked that thin line more than Him—and Pope Francis seems to be pointing that path to us once again.
We need to blow away the “smoke of satan” so we can clearly identify this narrow red line, drawn in Christ’s blood… because we are called to walk it ourselves.
Hell Unleashed
WHEN I wrote this last week, I decided to sit on it and pray some more because of the very serious nature of this writing. But nearly every day since, I have been getting clear confirmations that this is a word of warning to all of us.
There are many new readers coming aboard each day. Let me briefly recap then… When this writing apostolate began some eight years ago, I felt the Lord asking me to “watch and pray”. [1]At WYD in Toronto in 2003, Pope John Paul II likewise asked us youth to become “the watchmen of the morning who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ!” —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Message of the Holy Father to the Youth of the World, XVII World Youth Day, n. 3; (cf. Is 21:11-12). Following the headlines, it seemed that there was an escalation of world events by the month. Then it began to be by the week. And now, it is daily. It is exactly as I felt the Lord was showing me it would happen (oh, how I wish in some ways I was wrong about this!)
Footnotes
| ↑1 | At WYD in Toronto in 2003, Pope John Paul II likewise asked us youth to become “the watchmen of the morning who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ!” —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Message of the Holy Father to the Youth of the World, XVII World Youth Day, n. 3; (cf. Is 21:11-12). |
|---|
When a Mother Cries
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for September 15th, 2014
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Liturgical texts here
I stood and watched as tears welled in her eyes. They ran down her cheek and formed drops on her chin. She looked as though her heart could break. Only a day before, she had appeared peaceful, even joyful… but now her face seemed to betray the deep sorrow in her heart. I could only ask “Why…?”, but there was no answer in the rose-scented air, since the Woman I was looking at was a statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
Prophecy Properly Understood
WE are living in a time when prophecy has perhaps never been so important, and yet, so misunderstood by the vast majority of Catholics. There are three harmful positions being taken today regarding prophetic or “private” revelations that, I believe, are doing at times great damage in many quarters of the Church. One is that “private revelations” never have to be heeded since all we are obligated to believe is the definitive Revelation of Christ in the “deposit of faith.” Another harm being done is by those who tend to not only put prophecy above the Magisterium, but give it the same authority as Sacred Scripture. And last, there is the position that most prophecy, unless uttered by saints or found without error, should be mostly shunned. Again, all these positions above carry unfortunate and even dangerous pitfalls.
St. John Paul II
ST. JOHN PAUL II — PRAY FOR US
I traveled to Rome to sing in a concert tribute to St. John Paul II, October 22nd, 2006, to honor the 25th anniversary of the John Paul II Foundation, as well as the 28th anniversary of the late pontiff’s installation as pope. I had no idea what was about to happen…
A story from the archives, first published October 24th, 2006….
Planted by the Stream
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 20th, 2014
Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
TWENTY years ago, my wife and I, both cradle-Catholics, were invited to a Baptist Sunday service by a friend of ours who was once a Catholic. We were amazed at all the young couples, the beautiful music, and the anointed sermon by the pastor. The outpouring of genuine kindness and welcoming touched something deep in our souls. [1]cf. My Personal Testimony
When we got into the car to leave, all I could think of was my own parish… weak music, weaker homilies, and even weaker participation by the congregation. Young couples our age? Practically extinct in the pews. Most painful was the sense of loneliness. I often left Mass feeling colder than when I walked in.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. My Personal Testimony |
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Fulfilling Prophecy
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 4th, 2014
Opt. Memorial for St. Casimir
Liturgical texts here
THE fulfillment of God’s Covenant with His people, which will be fully realized in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, has progressed throughout millennia like a spiral that becomes smaller and smaller as time goes on. In the Psalm today, David sings:
The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
And yet, the revelation of Jesus was still hundreds of years away. So how could the salvation of the Lord be known? It was known, or rather anticipated, through prophecy…
The Consequences of Compromise
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 13th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
What’s left of Solomon’s Temple, destroyed 70 A.D.
THE beautiful story of Solomon’s achievements, when working in harmony with God’s grace, came to a halt.
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God.
Solomon no longer followed God “unreservedly as his father David had done.” He began to compromise. In the end, the Temple he constructed, and all its beauty, was reduced to rubble by the Romans.
Fighting the Ghost
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 6th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
“The Running Nuns”, Daughters of Mary Mother of Healing Love
THERE is much talk among the “remnant” of refuges and safe havens—places where God will protect His people during coming persecutions. Such an idea is firmly rooted in the Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. I addressed this subject in The Coming Refuges and Solitudes, and as I reread it today, it strikes me as more prophetic and relevant than ever. For yes, there are times to hide. St. Joseph, Mary and the Christ child fled to Egypt while Herod hunted them; [1]cf. Matt 2;13 Jesus hid from the Jewish leaders who sought to stone Him; [2]cf. Jn 8:59 and St. Paul was concealed from his persecutors by his disciples, who lowered him to freedom in a basket through an opening in the city wall. [3]cf. Acts 9:25
2014 and the Rising Beast
THERE are many hopeful things developing in the Church, most of them quietly, still very much hidden from view. On the other hand, there are many troubling things on the horizon of humanity as we enter 2014. These too, though not as hidden, are lost on most people whose source of information remains the mainstream media; whose lives are caught in the treadmill of busyness; who have lost their internal connection to God’s voice through a lack of prayer and spiritual development. I am speaking of souls who do not “watch and pray” as Our Lord asked us.
I can’t help but call to mind what I published six years ago on this very eve of the Feast of the Holy Mother of God:
The Field Hospital
BACK in June of 2013, I wrote to you of changes that I have been discerning regarding my ministry, how it is presented, what is presented etc. in the writing called The Watchman’s Song. After several months now of reflection, I would like to share with you my observations from what is happening in our world, things I have discussed with my spiritual director, and where I feel I am being led now. I also want to invite your direct input with a quick survey below.
On Becoming Holy
Young Woman Sweeping, Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864-1916)
I AM guessing that most of my readers feel that they are not holy. That holiness, saintliness, is in fact an impossibility in this life. We say, “I am too weak, too sinful, too frail to ever rise to the ranks of the righteous.” We read Scriptures like the following, and feel they were written on a different planet:
…as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:15-16)
Or a different universe:
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:48)
Impossible? Would God ask us—no, command us—to be something that we cannot? Oh yes, it is true, we cannot be holy without Him, He who is the source of all holiness. Jesus was blunt:
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
The truth is—and Satan wishes to keep it far from you—holiness is not only possible, but it is possible right now.
Don't Mean Nothin'
THINK of your heart as a glass jar. Your heart is made to contain the pure liquid of love, of God, who is love. But over time, so many of us fill our hearts with the love of things—inaminate objects that are as cold as stone. They cannot do anything for our hearts except to fill up those places that are reserved for God. And thus, many of us Christians are actually quite miserable… loaded down in debt, inner conflict, sadness… we have little to give because we ourselves are no longer receiving.
So many of us have stone cold hearts because we have filled them with the love of worldly things. And when the world encounters us, longing (whether they know it or not) for the “living water” of the Spirit, instead, we pour on their heads the cold stones of our greed, selfishness, and self-centeredness mixed with a tad of liquid religion. They hear our arguments, but notice our hypocrisy; they appreciate our reasoning, but do not detect our “reason for being”, which is Jesus. This is why the Holy Father has called us Christians to, once again, renounce worldliness, which is…
…the leprosy, the cancer of society and the cancer of the revelation of God and the enemy of Jesus. —POPE FRANCIS, Vatican Radio, October 4th, 2013
Two New Albums Released!
“WOW, WOW, WOW…………..! We just listened to these new songs and were blown away!” —F. Adami, CA
“…absolutely beautiful! My only disappointment was that it ended much too soon—it left me wanting to hear more of those lovely, soulful, songs… Vulnerable is an album that I will play over and over again— every single song touched my heart! This album is one of, if not the best one yet.” —N. Carpenter, OH
“One of the many brilliant facets of Mark’s artistry is his ability to write and compose his song that wonderfully becomes your song.” —Brian Kravec, review of Vulnerable, Catholicmom.com
JUNE 3rd, 2013
“VULNERABLE” AND “HERE YOU ARE”
NOW AVAILABLE AT
markmallett.com
Love songs that will make you cry… ballads that will bring back memories… spiritual songs that will draw you closer to God.. these are moving melodies about love, forgiveness, fidelity, and family.
Twenty-five original songs by singer/songwriter Mark Mallett are ready to order online in digital or CD format. You’ve read his writings… now hear his music, spiritual food for the heart.
VULNERABLE contains 13 brand new songs by Mark that speak of love, loss, remembering and finding hope.
HERE YOU ARE is a collection of re-mastered songs included on Mark’s Rosary and Chaplet CD’s, and thus, often unheard of by his music fans—plus, two brand new songs “Here You Are” and “You Are Lord” that will take you into the the love and mercy of Christ and tenderness of His mother.
TruNews Interview
MARK MALLETT was the guest on TruNews.com, an evangelical radio podcast, on February 28th, 2013. With host, Rick Wiles, they discussed the resignation of the Pope, apostasy in the Church, and the theology of the “end times” from a Catholic perspective.
An evangelical Christian interviewing a Catholic in a rare interview! Listen in at:
Open Wide the Draft of Your Heart
HAS your heart grown cold? There’s usually a good reason, and Mark gives you four possibilities in this inspiring webcast. Watch this all-new Embracing Hope webcast with author and host Mark Mallett:
Open Wide the Draft of Your Heart
Go to: www.embracinghope.tv to watch other webcasts by Mark.
Well, that was close…
Tornado Touchdown, June 15th, 2012, near Tramping Lake, SK; photo by Tianna Mallett
IT was a restless night—and a familiar dream. My family and I were escaping persecution… and then, like before, the dream would turn into us fleeing tornadoes. When I awoke yesterday morning, the dream “stuck” in my mind as my wife and I drove into a nearby town to pick up our family van at the repair shop.
In the distance, dark clouds were looming. Thunderstorms were in the forecast. We heard on the radio that there might even be tornadoes. “It seems too cool for that,” we agreed. But soon we would change our minds.Continue reading
Time, Time, Time…
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!
Recollection
IF you read Custody of the Heart, then you know by now how often we fail to keep it! How easily we are distracted by the smallest thing, pulled away from peace, and derailed from our holy desires. Again, with St. Paul we cry out:
I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate…! (Rom 7:14)
But we need to hear again the words of St. James:
Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
Grace is not cheap, handed over like fast-food or at the click of a mouse. We have to fight for it! Recollection, which is taking custody again of the heart, is often a struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. And so, we have to learn to follow the ways of the Spirit…
The Prophecy at Rome – Part VI
THERE is a powerful moment coming for the world, what saints and mystics have called an "illumination of conscience." Part VI of Embracing Hope shows how this "eye of the storm" is a moment of grace… and a coming moment of decision for the world.
Remember: there is no cost to view these webcasts now!
To watch Part VI, click here: Embracing Hope TV