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Friday 7 August 2015

Swords in Sheaths



From 1 Chronicles 21:

And David lifting up his eyes, saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand, turned against Jerusalem: and both he and the ancients clothed in haircloth, fell down flat on the ground. 


No more protection....there is little protection now...God took His protection away from David for the sin of pride. So, too, many nations will now experience this withdrawal of protection.

Perhaps, if I use a metaphor taken from a writer concerning the times we are entering, this necessity for preparing will become more real for my readers. The young priest, Father Percy Franklin in Lord of the World saw a vision of the Tribulation.

The Anti-Christ was about to assume power.

The phrase which touches the depths of my being is this, "the angels themselves were bidden to put sword into sheath, and wait on the eternal patience of God, for the agony was hardly yet begun."

This is what is happening now in the West, especially in Great Britain, and in America. God is allowing evil to have its day in order for the Church and Her true members to be purified and made holy.

This is the time of saints. As I tell friends, there is no middle ground. One is either for Christ or against Him

Yesterday, some friends took me to a restaurant. I was appalled not only at the dress of the hostess, but by the tattoos on the arms of our waitress. Now, this restaurant for a long time has cantered to families. It is locally owned.

The tattoos revealed that this woman was into s and m sex. Obviously, she was hired with these on, as she is new. Obviously, the owner and manager do not care if she is this sort of person.

I do. I shall refuse future offers of dinner there.

This young woman represents the growing boldness of evil in our world. She represents the arrogance of sex and perverted sex.

She represents the fact that this sort of thing is now mainstream

Remember, I am in the Midwest and not in New York or San Francisco.

The angels have sheathed their swords. I tried to explain to my friends that one cannot go to a place like this. They disagreed, and said one can ask for a different table.

Moving to another place in the restaurant, to another table, does not solve the big problem. The big problem is the acceptance of sin as the norm.

The Mystical Body of Christ will be crucified. We shall bear on our bodies the Passion of Christ, finishing His suffering in the world.

From Lord of the World:

He saw the Body Mystical in its agony, strained over the world as on a cross, silent with pain; he saw this and that nerve wrenched and twisted, till pain presented it to himself as under the guise of flashes of colour; he saw the life-blood drop by drop run down from His head and hands and feet. The world was gathered mocking and good-humoured beneath. "He saved others: Himself He cannot save…. Let Christ come down from the Cross and we will believe." Far away behind bushes and in holes of the ground the friends of Jesus peeped and sobbed; Mary herself was silent, pierced by seven swords; the disciple whom He loved had no words of comfort.
He saw, too, how no word would be spoken from heaven; the angels themselves were bidden to put sword into sheath, and wait on the eternal patience of God, for the agony was hardly yet begun; there were a thousand horrors yet before the end could come, that final sum of crucifixion…. He must wait and watch, content to stand there and do nothing; and the Resurrection must seem to him no more than a dreamed-of hope. There was the Sabbath yet to come, while the Body Mystical must lie in its sepulchre cut off from light, and even the dignity of the Cross must be withdrawn and the knowledge that Jesus lived. That inner world, to which by long effort he had learned the way, was all alight with agony; it was bitter as brine, it was of that pale luminosity that is the utmost product of pain, it hummed in his ears with a note that rose to a scream … it pressed upon him, penetrated him, stretched him as on a rack…. And with that his will grew sick and nerveless.
"Lord! I cannot bear it!" he moaned….

Go to St. Augustine Press online and order the copy from that publisher.

http://www.staugustine.net/our-books/books/lord-of-the-world/


Winter Forecast



Here is the NOAA Synopsis:


There is a greater than 90% chance that El NiƱo will continue through Northern Hemisphere fall 2015, and around an 85% chance it will last through the 2015-16 winter.


http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.html


and for laymen to understand...


http://www.weather.com/news/weather/video/strong-el-nino-what-does-it-mean




New Blog Delayed

The forum and new blog will not appear before August 18th. I apologize for the delay.

However, life goes on outside the Net.

More later....

Voris 1: Cowardly Priests 0


http://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/the-vortexfr.-barron-and-the-planned-parenthood-videos

I have never heard, in my entire life as a Catholic women, one sermon against contraception in a NO Mass. In the Latin Mass, yes....


Heads UP!


I am discovering that English readers and other English friends have awakened to see the signs of the times. I wonder what the issue was that created this new awareness of what is really happening to the Church there.

It is clear that more English blog readers have come to understand that religious freedoms have and are eroding so fast that we are entering the era of Lord of the World.

Heads are out of the sand. Many Catholics now respond to the reality of the crises both in the Church and in the secular government of Great Britain. I sincerely pray for heroes and saints on that side of the pond.

Pray for England. Pray for America. I shall post later today.

Desert Thoughts, Again...

Because we have had the same reading this past week on the complaining of the Chosen People in the desert, I have re-posted this article. This was written after a traumatic thing happened to me. 

Now, I am facing another trauma. But, as my God endured His Passion, so I must do the same.

There is no easy way out of the Dark Night of the spirit.



Sunday, 3 November 2013

On The Desert God

Psalm 28
Douay-Rheims
28 A psalm for David, at the finishing of the tabernacle. Bring to the Lord, O ye children of God: bring to the Lord the offspring of rams.
2 Bring to the Lord glory and honour: bring to the Lord glory to his name: adore ye the Lord in his holy court.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of majesty hath thundered, The Lord is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is in power; the voice of the Lord in magnificence.
5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars: yea, the Lord shall break the cedars of Libanus.
6 And shall reduce them to pieces, as a calf of Libanus, and as the beloved son of unicorns.
7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flame of fire:
8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the desert: and the Lord shall shake the desert of Cades.
9 The voice of the Lord prepareth the stags: and he will discover the thick woods: and in his temple all shall speak his glory.
10 The Lord maketh the flood to dwell: and the Lord shall sit king for ever. The Lord will give strength to his people: the Lord will bless his people with peace.






The name El was the title of the desert god of many of the ancient religions. El was also the god of the storms. However, the One, True God took the name and made it His Own, the God of all Creation, the Father of all Mankind, as well as the God of the Desert. God is still the God of the Desert. Christ Himself went into the desert to pray and allow Himself to be tempted. Over and over again, those who love God went into the desert to leave the world and find Him.


Sometimes, God calls some of us into the desert, as He did with the Desert Fathers.


Why God calls some of us out into the dryness is a mystery of the Dark Night and of purity.


I am in the desert. I know this. When I went to Adoration today, the monstrance was set up in a desert scene of rocks and sand. This is Malta.

In the myth of Psyche which I have mentioned more than once on this blog, the woman must do penance for doubting love. Such is the path of purification, which takes away all that is stopping Love Himself from coming to one.

The desert experience is a clear symbol of the nothingness of the Dark Night. No consolations, no color, no refreshment, only dryness and a bright light which causes all to be dark because it is so bright.

One's guardian angel can help us in this dark night.



You might want to check out this post from the past.

On Sunday, we saw Christ in the desert facing temptations. He is God and Man and the temptations were real. But, this was not the first time God was in the desert.
We remember the Hebrews, God's Chosen People being freed from Egypt by God's Mighty Hand and then rebelling over and over again in the desert. Their punishment was 40 years. But, God was with them.
For God had a right to purify His Own; and one of the biggest sins was complaining.
The person or person's with a complaining heart lacks several virtues, and is ignoring a truism
God deserves praise daily. Pride causes complaining. The moaner wants to be a god, to play god.
The moaning one lacks humility and wants to be in control.
Only God is in control and He is in control.
Why did the entire generation of Jews have to die out in the desert for their sins of rebellion?




Why did they not get to see the promised land? Even Moses was punished for striking the rock three times instead of obeying God and striking it once. No big deal, one might think. Why such a harsh punishment? Was it merely that Moses was impatient, or angry? Was it that he was not trusting in God to make water flow in the desert with just one small gesture?




Moses forgot who he was. As a great friend of God, one who walked with God and heard His Voice daily, Moses forgot one small truth. Obedience in the smallest thing which God asks is real Love. Moses died on Mt. Nebo within sight of the Holy Land, God's home for him. This was a terrible punishment for Moses. He was purified in this suffering, as we know that he, Moses, was seen in the Transfiguration with Christ and Elijah

The obedience of the heart is learned in silence. In the desert, there is much silence. In silence, we learn to listen and hear God.
Even Moses had to be punished for not listening. And, yet, we have more than what Moses had. We have Christ in the Eucharist, we have the Church and the sacraments to help us.St Paul writes, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" Rom. 10: 4
Doing things out of Love is what Paul means. We act out of love and not fear. We act out of love and not merely obedience without love. Moses forgot to act out of love.
Obedience is Love. If one is not obedient in the smallest thing, one is lacking in love.




The desert carves out our hearts so that we have room to love God.
The desert is hard. It is very hot in the day and very cold at night. Sand gets into one's skin, eyes, hair. It is full of dangerous animals. Water is scarce. One has to rely on God totally in the desert. He is our Guide, as we cannot get out of the desert without Him. He is our sustenance, as we are not fed in the desert, without Him.

The world is fast turning into the desert. There will soon be no Catholic nations to go to in order to avoid evils such as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, same-sex marriage. There will be no place to hide.
Among rocks and sand, there are few places to hide. We must create that place in our souls or we shall die.
Learn to live in the desert.

from today's Morning Psalm, 94

If only, today, you would listen to his voice:
“Do not harden your hearts
as you did at Meribah,
on the day of Massah in the desert,
when your fathers tested me –
they put me to the test,
although they had seen my works.”
“For forty years they wearied me,
that generation.
I said: their hearts are wandering,
they do not know my paths.
I swore in my anger:
they will never enter my place of rest.” 

But God is merciful and He sent His Only Son to help us while we are in the desert.


Dear Lord, help us to learn to live in the desert. Help us now to be so full of love for you, that being in the desert is merely one more way to find You and love you.


To be continued..............

A Re-post for My Sisters in The Lord

Especially for C, J, S, D, J, S, T, and others...
Saturday, 16 June 2012

A Meditation on Rebekah for My Sisters Online



The women of the Old Testament came into their own in the Catholic Church when I was in my twenties, as Bible Studies for the home and church groups became popular. However, I grew up with the Bible, perhaps an usual scenario for a Catholic family in the 1950s and 1960s, but we had Bible Study in my Catholic school and I had my own Bible, which I loved, illustrated not only with beautiful pictures, but with photos from the Holy Land. The drawings were by an order of nuns. I gave it away years ago to another child.

One of my favorite women, who is human and not as perfect as a saint, is Rebekah. Her caring spirit led her to happiness. Now, for some reason, I have always liked camels. I have actually ridden on a camel in the past, and would do so again. I like the fact that they as "ships of the desert", strong, resilient, and fast, apparently. The one I rode went at a leisurely pace.

Rebekah gave water to the servant of Abraham, Eliezer, and to his camels. Maybe that is one reason I like the story so much. She took care of the man and the animals quite freely and drawing water for thirsty camels, and some commentaries state there were ten, would take a long time, perhaps all morning. Some commentators have noted that the girl would have made 34 trips to the well, based on how much water the typical camel would take after a journey and how much water she could hold in her jar. This girl was not selfish! And, she was strong of mind and body, as well, as the Book of Genesis tells us, beautiful. I like Rebekah. She is a woman of the prairie, if I may use that term, like my ancestors, those women who worked hard and were kind and generous with whatever material things they had. Rebekah reminds us that if we are doing our duty, working hard at what God has called us to do, we shall be rewarded by His Grace. Rebekah was given gold and a nose ring, the signs of redemption. We have that sign of redemption through Jesus Christ in baptism

Rebekah met Eliezer at the well, always a sign of life in the Scriptures, whether in the Old or New Testament. Christ is the Living Water and this story points to the fulfillment of love in the New Covenant.

Rebekah freely , with her own will served Eliezer and his camels, but also, freely, agreed to the marriage to Isaac. She was asked if she would marry him and if she would leave her family and go back with Eliezer to Isaac. She said "yes". This was one brave girl. But, I would like to think that she answered in love. Love surrounds this story, as does the Presence of God. Eliezer prayed for a sign and  as soon as he prayed, his answer came. He trusted in God. Rebekah, a woman of virtue, responded in love and care to Eliezer and his needs.

I want to emphasize that, unusually for the time, Rebekah was asked whether she wanted to be married to the unknown Isaac. She replied "yes" and her yes led to life and goodness. She was given a gold coin and a nose ring, as I noted above, the sign of a person being redeemed from slavery at the time. We are redeemed and the sign of our redemption is the indelible mark we receive at baptism. All this is in Chapter 24. Free will is so important in our relationship with God. He desires that we love Him freely.

Rebekah had free will and she answered yes to a new life. To respond in the affirmative to God brings new life to people around us as well as to ourselves.

Be brave and kind, and like Rebekah, concentric circles of love and goodness will reach out to others from your soul.

One more note, Rebekah and Eliezer met at the well, always a sign of life in the Bible. Water was necessary for life and Christ is the Living Water, as He told the Woman at the Well.

Meetings at wells signify new life and conversion. Again, we are reminded of our baptisms. Live, love, give life, that is our role as Catholic women in the world

Do Prophets Run Out of Things To Say?

About two weeks ago, I lamented, as did the prophets, quoting Jeremiah, on the fact that people do not want to hear about doom and gloom. They do not want to repent, or face changing their lifestyles.

You can look back at that complaint.


But, today, I wonder if the prophets ever ran out of things to say, and became weary of saying the same-old, same-old?

The Douay-Rheims translation of Habakkuk makes a strong point in a chapter heading. The prophet is fed up with ignorance, with hard-heartedness, knowing that God is about to bring judgement on the people who have left His covenant, His laws.

Habakkuk 3 Douay-Rheims 1

3 A PRAYER OF HABACUC THE PROPHET FOR IGNORANCES.

2 O Lord, I have heard thy hearing, and was afraid. O Lord, thy work, in the midst of the years bring it to life: In the midst of the years thou shalt make it known: when thou art angry, thou wilt remember mercy.

3 God will come from the south, and the holy one from mount Pharan: His glory covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.

4 His brightness shall be as the light; horns are in his hands: There is his strength hid:

5 Death shall go before his face. And the devil shall go forth before his feet.

6 He stood and measured the earth. He beheld, and melted the nations: and the ancient mountains were crushed to pieces. The hills of the world were bowed down by the journeys of his eternity.

7 I saw the tents of Ethiopia for their iniquity, the curtains of the land of Madian shall be troubled.

8 Wast thou angry, O Lord, with the rivers? or was thy wrath upon the rivers? or thy indignation in the sea? Who will ride upon thy horses: and thy chariots are salvation.

9 Thou wilt surely take up thy bow: according to the oaths which thou hast spoken to the tribes. Thou wilt divide the rivers of the earth.

10 The mountains saw thee, and were grieved: the great body of waters passed away. The deep put forth its voice: the deep lifted up its hands.

11 The sun and the moon stood still in their habitation, in the light of thy arrows, they shall go in the brightness of thy glittering spear.

12 In thy anger thou wilt tread the earth under foot: in thy wrath thou wilt astonish the nations.

13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ. Thou struckest the head of the house of the wicked: thou hast laid bare his foundation even to the neck.

14 Thou hast cursed his sceptres, the head of his warriors, them that came out as a whirlwind to scatter me. Their joy was like that of him that devoureth the poor man in secret.

15 Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses, in the mud of many waters.

16 I have heard and my bowels were troubled: my lips trembled at the voice. Let rottenness enter into my bones, and swarm under me. That I may rest in the day of tribulation: that I may go up to our people that are girded.

17 For the fig tree shall not blossom: and there shall be no spring in the vines. The labour of the olive tree shall fail: and the fields shall yield no food: the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

18 But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus.

19 The Lord God is my strength: and he will make my feet like the feet of harts: and he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.


The main reason for prophesying is to call people to repentance, not to tell the future. 

To be honest, most Catholics only want consolations, like the people in my vision only wanting Smarties.

But, we are not living, will we ever live again in the time of consolations.

We are the generation of trial.

The Old Testament prophets kept on speaking until they were killed by their own people. The great John the Baptist kept reminding Herod of his sins up to end of this prophet's life.

But, I shall admit, it is very difficult to speak with those who simply do not want to hear the truth.


The prophets went into the desert to pray and came out again.  St. Francis went into the wilderness, as did many others, but he came out again.

I am about to go into the desert again, 

Many of the saints went into the desert and never came out again: Mary of Egypt is one.

Whether I come out again is God's business..