Reviewing Yeats

Years ago, on this blog, I quoted William Butler Yeats.

Here is the quotation I chose again.

“Out of Ireland have we come.
Great hatred, little room,
Maimed us at the start.
I carry from my mother's womb
A fanatic heart.”

My experience of some Irish men in 2012 and last week has been the sad revelation of "Great hatred, little room."

In County Cork years ago, I met a man who went on a tirad regarding the English persecution of the Irish. I listened, and then I quoted Christ, Who told us to love our enemies and pray for those who hate us. He adamantly said that he would never forgive the English, never. I asked him whether he realized that no one gets into heaven with hate in their hearts. The Irishman looked shocked. I do not think he ever stopped to reflect on this point. God, I told him, is not Irish, but Father of us all.

The man walked away and that was the end of the conversation.

Last week, a similar thing happened after Holy Mass. Some of us were sitting around having coffee with the pastor. He has given a superb sermon on modesty and the American-Irishman became angry.

"We cannot tell people what to wear." He said, and then he went on to talk about how we had no right to judge the culture. Of course, STM would not let this go, so I jumped in and said that it was our duty as Catholics to change the culture. The man went on to say that Christ reached out to Mary Magdalen. Another woman chimed in and said that she converted and changed her ways and would not have kept her "prostitute clothes", but in repentance, became humble and modest.

Then, I spoke of the fact that modesty was a virtue, connected to temperance, adding that a woman would change over time and become modest if she really experienced conversion, as immodesty was pride, drawing attention to one's self and not humility.

Then, I made the comment, after four others began to take sides on the issue, that if one visited the Queen of England, (or the Pope), that there was an accepted dress code.

OMgoodness. The Irish-American man stood up and said, "Well, as an Irish-American, I do not care what the Queen thinks and would not go out of my way to respect her." He grew very angry and red in the face and literally stomped out of the cafe area. He had also changed the subject from modesty and dress codes to the "evil English". 

The problem of the hatred of the Irish for the English must be addressed by those who come up against hatred. My friend was shocked at the man's heated response, and informed me that he was a prominent Democrat in the city, and an Obama supporter.

Yeat's description of the "fanatic heart", a heart full of hatred and unforgiveness, a heart full of ideologies instead of Catholic truth, was revealed over coffee. I had met this in Dublin and in County Cork, and now in the Midwest. How sad that unforgiveness keeps people from rational behavior.

That was this parish's last coffee until September, and I shall most likely not be here. But, I pray for those who hate and those who do not see that the Catholic Church can change the culture, if people change their hearts and minds themselves, becoming like Christ, even at a coffee morning.

My comment on another blog....

This overturn of religion did not happen overnight. I visited and stayed in Ireland for quite some time in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and this past January, 2015. An excellent priest told me that the Irish Catholics did not appropriate their adult faith even in the 1950s,refusing to read or study their own religion. My take was that socialism and radical politics, as well as money, were more important than religion. Ireland is not a poor country. Dublin is a rich, international metropolis. Google International is located in Ireland, which has become a tax haven for American companies. The American, Hollywood idea of Ireland has been long gone. I was there when the abortion bill was pushed through the Dail. There was relatively little resistance.

What commentators are forgetting is that Ireland has cooperated more than most countries with the Big Brother of Brussels, giving up sovereignty in many areas, which are hidden to most Americans. Ireland has also pandered to American interests, many businesses, and American liberal groups which push international far left politics.

In addition, in 2012, when I was there, the banks accepted sharia law banking. Look that up, giving preference to loans given to Muslims in exchange for money deals with Saudi Arabia. This is not arcane knowledge, but was touted on the television and radio when I was there.

Also, many of the clergy, specifically the bishops, have given Communion to pro-abort politicians and have not stood up against ssm, and two came out and said vote “yes”. at least two. Again, this sea-change did not happen quickly, but in an atmosphere of growing hatred of the Catholic Church,. Of course, the sex scandals did not help clergy-laity relationships.

Catholic Ireland is officially dead, but it was dying a slow, long death, imho. There has been a disjoint between Catholic practice and politics since Catholic Ireland made a hero out of Charles Parnell, the “uncrowned king of Ireland”, despite his infamous adultery. Even then, Catholics turned against the Catholic Church, which, of course, condemned the man’s actions, and many so-called good Catholics sided with Parnell, making him some sort of martyr. This split between politics and religion is not new in the land of Patrick.

One more thing–neo-paganism, since another “hero”, William Butler Yeats, has made a huge comeback in Ireland, (and many have never left the Isle) in the form of satanism and witchcraft, which are both highly popular. One cannot ignore the fact that the slow fog of compromise grew into the storm we saw on Friday and that this fog was a long time growing in the hearts of many Irish people.

Irish Connections

A really interesting article about Ireland sent to me by a friend, who like me, knows that the Irish have given up their sovereignty. This is written from the point of view of the Irish who worked for democracy and a Catholic nation. I have visited Ireland at least four times in five years, spending much time there. I have seen the loss of Faith and the love of money cause this nation, now with the highest GNP of all EU nations, to become Godless.

"His perturbation at the state of Ireland, his confusion, his acute pain at the abandonment he would feel, was most callously condensed into a single statement by An Taoiseach who, in referring to the referendum on the redefinition of marriage, said:

'As we approach the centenary of the Rising, a Yes vote would, I believe, send out a powerful signal internationally that Ireland has evolved into a fair, compassionate and tolerant nation.'

The insinuation was clear: the leaders of ’16 were unfair, merciless and intolerant. And even worse, no party in the Oireachtas, none of those who so proudly proclaim their political lineage to the Rising, raised a voice to contradict such a contemptuous statement."

Read more here....

http://irishmachabean.blogspot.ie/2015/04/approaching-1916-centenary-celebrations.html

SPUC News and Sad

Sinn Féin declares war on marriage and the family

JOHN SMEATON, SPUC DIRECTOR Wednesday, 22 April 2015 Sinn Féin declares war on marriage and the family   Any idea enjoyed by Catholics or non-Catholics around the world that Sinn Féin is committed to the Catholic religion or to the common good must be completely dispelled today. At a press event, reported today by Campaign for Marriage, they have declared war on marriage and the family by announcing a "vigorous" campaign to re-define marriage. Furthermore, a Sinn Féin motion, below, is to be debated 27 April in Stormont: That this Assembly welcomes the marriage equality referendum in the south of Ireland; notes that a growing number of parliaments across the world have embraced, and legislated for, marriage equality; respects the rights of the religious institutions to define, observe and practise marriage within their beliefs; and calls on the Executive to legislate for marriage equality for same sex couples so that all citizens will have the same legal entitlement to the protections, responsibilities, rights, obligations and benefits afforded by the legal institution of marriage. As I report today, the Nigerian bishops have (accurately) described same-sex marriage as harming the innocence of children - a fact which is confirmed in schools around Britain where Stonewall, a militant homosexual group, has been invited into schools (not excluding Catholic schools) to train teachers on how to educate little children about marriage. One cannot but recall the words of Christ: "But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew: 18,6) Of course, everyone knows that Catholic teaching is unequivocally opposed to same-sex unions. What is also overwhelmingly clear to everyone who studies the evidence objectively, however, is that same-sex unions are deeply damaging to the common good. The experience of legalising marriage for same-sex couples in Europe and North America shows that such legalisation has negative effects for real marriage and for families, shows latest evidence. The evidence was presented to the House of Commons committee examining the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, in a written submission by Dr Patricia Morgan, the British family policy researcher, on behalf of SPUC. The submission can be read in full at www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/ssmsub20130301 Based on research and data from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada and the US, Dr Morgan concluded that: as marriage is redefined to accommodate same-sex couples, this reinforces the idea that marriage is irrelevant to parenthood same-sex marriage leads to the casualisation of heterosexual unions and separation of marriage and parenthood Spain saw a pronounced acceleration in the decline of marriage following the introduction of same-sex marriage (same-sex marriage was introduced at the same time as the ‘express divorce bill’) across all countries analysed, no causal link has been established to support the idea that same-sex marriage prevents marital decline in the move to same-sex marriage, opposite-sex relationships have to conform to gay norms rather than vice-versa a publicly-professed, legal, partnership does not prevent homosexual couples from breaking up more frequently than married heterosexual couples experience with same-sex partnerships/marriage legislation tends to suggest that availability is all, and participation more or less irrelevant to sexual minorities same-sex marriage may be the end-game of long-running anti-marriage, anti-family policy typified by Sweden same-sex marriage may begin the process of severing marriage from family in otherwise family-friendly societies such as Spain and the Netherlands same-sex marriage triggers dismemberment of family structures in family-friendly societies. As a pro-life organisation, SPUC campaigns against same-sex marriage because: marriage - the permanent, exclusive union of one man and one woman - is the basis of the family, the fundamental group unit of society. Upholding marriage is therefore in everyone’s interests. marriage as an institution protects children, both born and unborn. Statistics show that unborn children are much safer within marriage than outside marriage. same-sex marriage lacks basic elements of true marriage e.g. the complementary sexual difference between spouses necessary for the procreation and healthy upbringing of children. same-sex marriage represents an attempt to redefine marriage, thus undermining marriage. This undermining lessens the protection for unborn children which true marriage provides. Sinn Féin, and indeed any political party which seeks to foist the redefinition of marriage on the good people of Ireland, should be utterly ashamed of themselves and will be judged by history to have proved to be the enemies of marriage, the family and, above all, of children. Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk

From Kathy Sinnott in Ireland

Dear Friends,

We have just received notice that the Supreme Court will give Judgement in the Childrens Rights Referendum Challenge Friday next, 24th April at 12 noon in the Supreme Court.

432/13 Jordan & Referendum Act 1994 342 & 361/14 Jordan v Min for Children & ors

Given the McCrystal judgement and the strength of the case,, we are very hopeful that the Supreme Court will protect our right as citizens  to referenda without illegal interference from government. If the Supreme Court gives a favourable judgement in the petition the Childrens Rights Referendum result will be void and a rerun will be called by the court. If a favourable judgement is handed down in the plenary case, sections of the Referendum Act will be declared unconstitutional and will have to be amended in a way that protects the citizens right to fair referenda and the result  of the Childrens Rights Referendum will be void.

I am attaching two Notes. one gives background to the Jordan case and the other recaps the provisions of the Childrens Rights amendment.

Everyone is welcome to attend at the Supreme Court for the reading of the judgement next Friday April 24th.

Please keep this case in your prayers and support.

God bless

Kathy Sinnott

To Donate

By Post.
Referendum Challenge
C/o Kathy Sinnott
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Goodbye to Ireland, where economics run politics

The soul of Ireland is gone.

The country that has sold virtual space to other nations...

and has lost its sovereignty . The Irish have institutionalized rebellion. And, lost individual rebellion.

If the individual is rebellious, that is a healthy.

But, what happens when a government becomes rebellious?

The government is not beholding to anyone and is a reverse democracy, which is an illiberal democracy or an inverse totalitarianism.

If you do not get this, read this from wiki:

In Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco, inverted totalitarianism is described as a system where corporations have corrupted and subverted democracy and where economics trumps politics.^[5] In inverted totalitarianism, every natural resource and every living being is commodified and exploited to collapse as the citizenry is lulled and manipulated into surrendering their liberties and their participation in government through excess consumerism and sensationalism.^[6][7]

Read more here on the US as well, but this has happened already in Ireland.


The book by Wolin mentioned in this article is key.Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism

Managed democracy

Wolin believes the democracy of the United States is sanitized of political participation, and describes it as managed democracy: "a political form in which governments are legitimated by elections that they have learned to control".^[13] Under managed democracy, the electorate is prevented from having a significant impact on policies adopted by the state through the continuous employment of public relations techniques.^[14]

Wolin believes the United States resembles Nazi Germany in one major way without an inversion: the essential role propaganda plays in the system. According to Wolin, whereas the production of propaganda was crudely centralized in Nazi Germany, in the United States it is left to highly concentrated media corporations, thus maintaining the illusion of a "free press".^[15] According to this model, dissent is allowed, though the corporate media serve as a filter, allowing most people, with limited time available to keep themselves apprised of current events, to hear only points of view that the corporate media deem "serious".^[16][4][17]

According to Wolin, the United States has two main totalizing dynamics:

• The first, directed outward, finds its expression in the Global War on Terror and in the Bush Doctrine that the United States has the right to launch preemptive wars. This amounts to the United States seeing as illegitimate the attempt by any state to resist its domination.^[18][17][4]
• The second dynamic, directed inward, involves the subjection of the mass of the populace to economic "rationalization", with continual "downsizing" and "outsourcing" of jobs abroad and dismantling of what remains of the welfare state created by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. Thus neoliberalism is an integral component of inverted totalitarianism. The state of insecurity in which this places the public serves the useful function of making people feelhelpless, thus making it less likely they will become politically active, and thus helping maintain the first dynamic.^{[19][20][4][17]}

and more

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers expressed the view that:^[7]

"We are living in a time of Inverted Totalitarianism, in which the tools used to maintain the status quo are much more subtle and technologically advanced ... These include propaganda and major media outlets that hide the real news about conditions at home and our activities around the world behind distractions ... Another tool is to create insecurity in the population so that people are unwilling to speak out and take risks for fear of losing their jobs ... Changes in college education also silence dissent ... Adjunct professors ... are less willing to teach topics that are viewed as controversial. This, combined with massive student debt, are tools to silence the student population, once the center of transformative action."^[7]

This is what happens when the Lord God is set aside for the god, Mammon.

UPDATE: I am reminded of what a holy hermit said over a year ago. Under the Druids, satan tried to get Ireland for himself. Now, he is succeeding. 

.

The Beggars of Dublin

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beggar_in_Dublin_(1).JPG Chmee2

There are t least four categories of homeless or beggars in Dublin from my experience several times here.

The first are the "professional beggars" who are not Irish, mostly Romanian and work in gangs. I have seen this the four times I have visited Dublin. These people work the areas around churches and posh stores, and after a while, one realizes that these are the same people moving about. Dubliners have told me these are gangs who beg. Frequently, the women wear old-fashioned Romanian dress. One professional beggar I have seen here through the years has deformities which come from someone breaking his hands on purpose when he was a baby.

The second group are the drug-addicts and alcoholics, I do not give them money, but if I can, I buy them food. I have not seen any out in the past two weeks. Most of these people are Irish. One can tell they are ill.

The third category are those who are either mentally ill or oppressed or even possessed of demons. Some of these people beg and then, during Mass, come in and yell at the congregation or worse, yell at the Body and Blood of Christ on the altar. I wish the bishops here believed in possession, as some of these people would be freed.

The fourth group are those who have fallen through the cracks. They have had hard times for some reason. Some are ill because they have been on the streets and have fungus or skin diseases. These Irish people break my heart, as many are young men, who have sad stories.

Some will take food, or a sweater, or a blanket, or umbrella, if it is raining.

Some get angry if one gives them clothes, as one woman became when I gave her new clothes. She only wanted money.

Some accept food and clothes.

To be homeless or a beggar or both in the winter in Dublin is a terrible thing, and a sign that socialism does not work.

Christianity, if it is practiced, works.

I talk to some of the homeless and learn their names when I can. They are human beings and need dignity.

I wonder if there are homeless and beggars in the countryside? I did not see any when I was in the countryside of Meath in 2012.

The Snakes Have Returned

The story of Patrick is not about real snakes, but about the Pythonic demons, in my opinion. He exorcised this pagan isle.

Long ago, this powerful, holy man conquered the pagan religion of the Druids.A man of extraordinary gifts, Patrick must have overcome the demons of false seers, pagan rituals which may have included killing people, and secret worship of nature. Natural religion also claims that a person can save themselves. There is a secret society here which believes that and which has much influence.

I cannot help but believe that the snakes have returned to Ireland.

Abortion is now legal, and the island abounds with witches, false visionaries and members of a certain secret society.

That ssm will be passed soon is another indication that evil has climbed back into the Holy Isle.

The rise of the occult here is staggering. November 18th was official "Occult Day" here, as it was in America.

I found Ireland under a black cloud in 2011, and the darkness has thickened. If Ireland ever needed St. Patrick, it is now.

I would be so happy if all those Michaels would sincerely pray to their patron for this beautiful place.

In one Medieval book, St. Patrick is standing on a snake supposedly in Purgatory, the door of which is supposed to be on Station Island in Lough Derg. Too bad the belief in Purgatory has passed out of Ireland.

The most pious people I have met here, who are under the age of 45 are not Irish, but Polish, Scottish, and other-ish.

If ever this Island of Saints needed saints, it is today.

http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2014/03/the-legacy-of-st-patrick.html

While I am writing this, I can hear the strong wind blowing over Dublin. My heart aches for this city.

The snakes have returned.

On A Demon of The False Seer

The Serpent Column from Delphi-Wiki

Myths and truth overlap. I was re-reading the passage in Acts 16:16 when St. Paul gets fed-up with the false seer and exorcises the girl from what is called in the Douay-Rheims, the Pythonic spirit.

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain girl, having a pythonical spirit, met us, who brought to her masters much gain by divining.

17 This same following Paul and us, cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation.

18 And this she did many days. But Paul being grieved, turned, and said to the spirit: I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her. And he went out the same hour.

It never dawned on me until today that the demon was called "Python" in the Vulgate. An old article reminded me of this when I began a study of a false healer who was connected to a python. 

Now, one can draw a line to Genesis and the snake in the garden, and also to Delphi, which I have written about on this blog before, as a place of demonic seances, relating to the pythonic demon which in myth, was overcome by Apollo.

In some myths, the priestess seer is called Pythia, and she could be seen as having a pythonic demon. Her name became the name of the main seer, the Pythia. Also, there is a sculpture of the python at Delos.

Therefore, St. Paul is making the connection concerning demonic seers.

Someone indicated that in the Latin Vulgate, in the passage about King Saul seeking out the Witch of Endor, that the "divining spirit" is also referred to as "pythonic". They were correct.

Note--- 1 Samuel 28

7 dixitque Saul servis suis quaerite mihi mulierem habentem pythonem et vadam ad eam et sciscitabor per illam et dixerunt servi eius ad eum est mulier habens pythonem in Aendor

8 mutavit ergo habitum suum vestitusque est aliis vestimentis abiit ipse et duo viri cum eo veneruntque ad mulierem nocte et ait divina mihi in pythone et suscita mihi quem dixero tibi

The evidence is growing for a real identification with false seers and a demon called "Python".

For years, I have been studying the characteristics and importance of the demon mentioned in Revelation. 

For many reasons, this demon is one worshiped today by a certain group of people. And, as it is the same demon or types of demons, this makes the connections more interesting. I wrote an entire post on this in the autumn, about the Destroyer, Abaddon, or Apollyon. 

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.ie/2014/10/for-synod-members.html

So the demon is worshiped today by a certain group and is the same demon of false prophecy, false visions.

Revelation 9:11 Douay-Rheims 

11 A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans,

This demon is attacking the Church now in many areas. 

One, I cannot list them all-but false seers are only one column of warriors against Christ and the truth. I have listed many false seers on this blog. The Pythonic demon....

Two, Coatlicue and Qpetzalcoatl, Aztec serpent gods demanded human sacrifice, especially the first demon. I think abortion is connected to these evil spirits--the Pythonic demon again.

Three, Apollyon is worshiped by a secret society. Yes, yet again...

This powerful demon and cohorts have not left us alone...and are mentioned in all the above references dating back to Genesis. 

To be continued....for a reason

The Extinction of Souls Part Two

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.ie/2015/01/the-extinction-of-souls.html

"Love does not make you weak, because it is the source of all strength, but it makes you see the nothingness of the illusory strength on which you depended before you knew it."( Leon Bloy, Auden & Kronenberger, 1966)

The short post yesterday on Leon Bloy's comment about the purposeful extinction of souls needs to be expanded.

The present Pope quoted Bloy in 2013 in his first address to the cardinals.

This quote below pins down the point I make constantly on this blog that there is no middle-state, no neutral state in the world.

Most Westeners play footsy with the world. And, yes, there are ways around this daily compromising attitude.

When Bloy noted that the extinction of souls was the goal of the growing evil of Europe, he knew who was behind the gross materialism evading the Church. Now, American Catholic use the philosophical term of materialism when they should be using the term consumerism.

Consumerism is the heated pursuit of things, the addiction to novelty shopping, and the false needed for status symbols.

Materialism is the philosophical belief that the created universe is all there is--that there is no spiritual world, no heaven, hell, or purgatory, no soul.

The trouble with Europe is that the vast majority of people live like true materialists. But, one cannot. One who lives without any thought of the next life is doomed to a rather horrific surprise.

‘He who does not pray to the Lord prays to the devil.’ When one does not confess Jesus Christ, one confesses the worldliness of the devil.”

Until Catholics wake up and realize that there are no neutral states of life choices, of daily actions and thoughts, these people are in danger of losing eternal life with God.

There is no middle ground in Europe and those who pretend that there is cannot understand what is happening. 

In The Woman Who Was Poor, Bloy puts the now-famous words into the mouth of one of the main characters, Clotilde: For there is only one reason for us to be sad,” says Clotilde, “And that is that we are not saints.”

As I walk up and down the streets of Dublin today, going to Mass, doing some chores for myself and a friend, I see thousands of materialists. In McDonald's, where I had a coupon, I met a charming Irish woman who was extremely well-dressed, eating toast and tea. We sat at the same table and had an interesting talk about the Irish.

She shared an intriguing insight. She noted that the time of interest in the Irish "has passed" and that the type of tourists who came for years and years are gone.

She noted that the little house in The Quiet Man was allowed "to be overgrown with weeds" and ruined. She said that the little cabin in Ryan's Daughter was not kept up. The older generation in American who had heard stories from their grandparents and parents would never find that old Ireland again.

"Old Ireland is gone." Voltaire has won here.

I see it and saw it the first time I visited in 2011. The reason for old Ireland disappearing is materialism.

The soul of Ireland has become extinct because of the dying of Catholicism here.

This lovely lady noted that there was a shortage of priests and nuns. She noted that the "elan" of Ireland had vanished. Irish enthusiasm, energy, poise and grace had disappeared. 

She noted that now the Irish had become crude and gauche, no longer spiritual--and this from the mouth of a Dubliner.

There is no neutral territory. Like Bloy noted, if one does not worship God, one will worship satan.

I like being here and I have great love for my handful of friends here. But, a cloud hangs over this beautiful country. Like the black breath of Sauron, it seems to be filling the island.

to be continued....

On suffering, again.

What saved us then, what made our real despair still a conditional despair was precisely our suffering. That almost unconscious dignity of the mind saved our minds through the presence of an element which could not be reduced to the absurdity into which everything seemed to be trying to lead us.

I thought I was leaving the Maritains, but the times make me return to one phrase from a later book by Raissa We Have Been Friends Together, which I have.

The above phrase jolted me, jumped out of a page yesterday and gripped my heart. Suffering saves us from despair. This may sound the opposite to what psychologists tell the modern world. The world wants to avoid suffering, but as one sees to clearly today, suffering not only surrounds us, but conditions which will create intense suffering for the remnant have increased the risk of suffering.

How, then, can suffering keep one from despair? When one realizes the dignity of the individual human being, the capacity of humans to create great beauty and culture, the possibilities for love among men and women in a society, even in the darkest of days, one must see that life is not absurd.

Suffering causes one to focus intensely on the spiritual side of man. If one denies the soul, one is denying the very essence of a human being. A human cannot live without a soul and this soul, even in tremendous suffering, is alive because of one reason.

God.

Without God holding the soul, keeping the soul alive in His Providence and care, one dies.

As long as one lives, even in great suffering, and I can attest to this type of suffering, one is given chances for growth in this life. A long time ago, a Jewish-Catholic said to me that without God my life made no sense.

One's life does not make sense without God, and intense suffering brings one back daily to the mystery of God's own suffering, God, the Second Person of the Trinity, whose Passion and Death reveal the greatest love one can imagine.

Last week, I was accused of being a liar four times by a person who does not know me. I realized three things in this unfair, unjust accusation which impacted my life. I pray for him now. He only sees evil and cannot see good anymore. How sad. But, I learned three things in this encounter.

The first was that, as a sinner before God, even though I had not lied, I am not totally innocent, totally pure of sin. Therefore, I deserved, in some strange way, the accusation of evil although I had not committed any evil for which I was being accused. I was peaceful, but firm, calm and clear. However, God allowed this event to occur.

Only Christ could stand before the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod as the only completely Pure, Innocent Victim of complete injustice. Only Christ stands before evil without a shadow of sin.

Second, I realized that this is one reason why God wants me and all of us to endure the Dark Night and become pure. How can we stand before those who will persecute us, listening to the words of God, remaining peaceful, even loving, not wanting or even thinking of retaliation unless we are pure of heart?

One cannot respond to evil without anger or revenge unless one is pure of heart.

Third, God allows evil to come into one's life in order to purify us. The dignity of the soul and the human person remains hidden until suffering, which usually brings out the true state of the heart, imagination and soul. One wills, then, to forgive, to pray for one's enemies, to join with Christ on the Cross.

When one's own people turn against a person, one can only think of Christ's rejection by His Own, Beloved People, the Jews.

Raissa's comments draw me back into the mystery of suffering. Indeed, suffering is a crucible, but one in which the soul and mind are purified in order for one to become a saint. One finds the true dignity of being human, which is union with God.

There is no other way.

I think that this is what St. John of the Cross learned when he was imprisoned by his own order for nine months.

In those months, he moved through the two parts of the Dark Night into Illumination and Union.

Suffering opens the heart and mind for grace.

The Extinction of Souls

In 1916, Leon Bloy wrote that something new was happening in Europe and that was the effort of various "isms" to bring about the "extinction of souls".

It has happened. We are now witnessing a world where souls have been made truly invisible by the double miasma of materialism and hedonism.

The soul of Europe, bludgeoned by those who are even more materialistic than the Europeans, lies gasping for air on the edge of chaos.

Bloy is one of the authors who one either adores or hates. He, himself, is more interesting than his works, but one cannot understand him without his works.

Living in dire poverty, Bloy has the clarity of mind only those living on the outside of society can have, of seeing the material world for what it is...the place of suffering given to us by God for our own purification.

He is a prophet for our times...

Can we feed our souls so that these do not dry up and die? I think so...Can we save the soul of Europe? I think not.

Comparisons

Over coffee with bright young men, I learned that those under 35 are making comparisons with 2015 and the world right before WWII. Some see that the efforts to try and ameliorate those who believe in the violent destruction of the West and Catholicism are like those efforts which tried to appease Hitler by the England and others.

Here is a good article on this subject.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-road-to-world-war-ii-how-appeasement-failed-to-stop-hitler-a-646481.html

The fact that Millennials are making these connections and comparisons here in Ireland, in France, and in Malta no longer surprises me. Note that this theme came up in three countries with three different sets of young men.

These young people can see that appeasement of evil just does not and never did work.

So, what should be the attitude of the Catholic?

I had a person in Malta tell me that they did not like the phrase "Church Militant".

But, we are that, and we cannot forget that. To realize that we are in a spiritual battle is merely the beginning. Raissa in her diary noted that she was living in crazy, terrible times. It is no accident but a God-incident that I ended the series on her notes not only in France, but at the beginning of 2015. Europe in 2015 does seem like Europe in 1938.

We are in those exact times now and this is not merely my own opinion.

Ireland in 2015

I am in Dublin for two weeks and then I am returning to America. A priest and a cabbie told me yesterday that they are convinced Europe is already under one world government de facto, if not de jure. Cabbies in Ireland are so cool. They are like mini-political experts and a joy to listen to regarding world events.

We talked about how most older people are "asleep" about what is really happening and that some people are in denial, although they see clearly what is going on. They want to pretend that life will go on just the same.

Most people are either refusing to face the loss of their state sovereignty or are in out and out denial.

Many people cannot see the gross manipulation of the media, even after the events in France last week. It is hard to find true reporting. The anti-Semitism, talked about truthfully in France for days on the television, apparently was not here or in England.

The priest and I talked about the events in France, and he noted that the cartoonists were hateful towards all religions. Being French and truly Catholic, he had followed critically the far left ideals of those who died, and noted that at least one published cartoon pornography. In fact, according to this French priest, the day of the shootings, the cover was to be a blasphemy against Our Lady, Mary. I shall not share the details.

The Pope's words yesterday on limits to freedom of speech must be considered, and respect for Truth is necessary. But, we do not need to treat all philosophies of life, or even "religions" the same, in my opinion. There is only one true religion and many man-made ones. Open discussion on these points must happen. Must. We cannot give up on Christ's command to evangelize all peoples. This is a command, not a suggestion.

We cannot cover up the Truth and we cannot refrain from open discussion about the Truth and other faith systems. We cannot stop talking rationally about real religion.

Sadly, some young people think that the Church is so corrupt that Holy Mother Church is behind one world government as well. This is a viewpoint I met in Ireland. How sad.

Where there are lies, lies proliferate.

And some Irish people tell me they do not want same-sex marriage but it will be pushed through. They tell me that they do not want many things which have been pushed through this government.

Americans, does this sound familiar? Are you waking up?

I am concerned about the young people who have no real Faith and yet understand the signs of the times. They, too, are influenced by false teachers of all sorts, as these good young people lack true Faith.

Pray for the Millennials here. Too many see what is going on but lack the means to cope either because they have never been Catholics, or because they have fallen away.

Single People Abroad

Talking with several men and women of various ages, I have discovered that certain governments of Europe are suspicious of single men and women traveling alone. I would have never thought of this.

A friend of mine told me that the days of traveling over Europe on one's own may be over.

Why?

Good question. Now I know several singles and even some married people who have been either turned away at borders, or encountered difficulties even with proper papers.

What is going on? The consolidation of power.....and individuals do and will suffer.

No Culture of Trust

We no longer living in a culture of trust. We live now in a culture of bureaucracy and man-made laws.

The lack of a moral framework, the lack of a shared Christian mind-set based on the Ten Commandments and the love of the Trinity is a void which has been filled up by paranoia and suspicion. Satan is a person who likes to divide and conquer and he has succeeded in destroying the links of relationship between Europe and America. It is as if the children and grandchildren of Europe have been orphaned by the breaking of the bonds of Catholicism.

Evil thinks evil of others. Goodness thinks goodness of others. A person who is a Christian can trust another person who puts God first and not idols first. Idolatry of legalism is not a new problem, but people are chasing after a false sense of security by supporting laws which actually undermine personal rights and freedoms.

Think about these points with regard to America. We are being separated from our roots and then our identity will be not only destroyed, but remolded into something monstrous--insanity, which happens when people forget they have souls.

We are headed very quickly for a world which will try and destroy the souls of each individual.

Losing humanity

I have been wondering whether to share some sad and negative things I have learned being in Europe the past few months.

I think that God has allowed me to experience and see some changes which I know believe I must share.

Let me say that God is allowing evil to be unleashed upon the earth for His purposes of purging the faithful and correcting those who are in deep sin.

But, how does this look from this side of the Atlantic?

A few points.

One, more and more people are falling into negativity and cynicism about their fellow human beings. People are less and less seen as individual human beings and more and more as cyphers.

This type of mind-set has happened before under the communist regimes and under Nazism.

The root of this type of attitude is utilitarianism and hatred of the good.

Two, the poor are being more and more marginalize by the rich an powerful. Those in the middle-class seem to be panicking, realizing finally that there is a small but powerful coterie of the super-powerful and super-wealthy who will run Europe leaving democracy in the dust. Some people sense this and are getting nervous. Some people do not want to know and, sadly, some people will cooperate with destroying the dignity of poverty.

Three, the Catholic Church is now the enemy of the nation-states, which are coalescing into one big government.  Do not kid yourselves, as power is becoming more and more centralized across national boundaries and more and more dictatorial.

Four, was is looming on the horizon-I predicted that Europe will be involved in some type of war by the end of the year. One can sense the unrest, and see the fact that even the terrorists are being used by larger forces. Anarchy will be the end result of this new war.

Five, people who are evil assume other people are evil and, therefore, cannot be open to the Gospel. There is no good news.

I could write more points, such as those regarding the divisions in the Church, even among trads.

Enough for now. Something big will happen in 2015.

The Slamming of The Doors

The glue which kept Europe together as Christendom has finally dried up. Nations are becoming less accessible to each other despite the EU, as nationalism, rather than patriotism, rears its ugly head again. What kept borders open in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was Catholicism, and the presence of the universal Catholic Church.

Can one imagine St. Bernard, St. Dominic, or St. Catherine being refused entry to any country.

Can one imagine the lack of the sharing of scholarship and prayer which formed Europe ending?

Can one imagine the purposeful stopping of community life among orders, which pre-date the very nations which now seek to discourage the presence of missionaries?

Even 15 years ago, as I am discovering, this tightening of borders, because of the unwillingness to allow Americans of a certain ilk, that is Catholics, into countries, to study or work or even get married, began. Stories shared with me in the past week indicate that at least 13 years ago, perhaps because of 9/11, but I doubt that, boundaries and barriers to Catholics were beginning to occur.

Silently, slowly, surreptitiously, people here and there were being denied access to certain countries, Great Britain being the most obvious.

Why?

I repeat what I have written here before on this blog. What institution threatens the nation-states, communism, socialism, and all the modernist heresies which now are the new glue binding people together in Europe?

What institution created by God Himself stands for Truth in the face of greed, selfishness, ideologies, idolatry?

The one, true, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church—period.

Many years ago, people who were oppressed could leave nations under tyrannies. Now, where do these people rest?

The Jews are being chased out of Europe again.

The Catholics have been marginalized and not one bishop or cardinal here on this continent has spoken out against the encroachments of the states against the Church.

Seculars and those of man-made religions have made unspoken pacts against Christ and His Church.

Unless Catholics wake up and rally, the moment of strength will be lost. Perhaps, it is too late already. Souls, which could have been saved by the preaching of the true Gospel will be lost because doors have been shut to the spreading of the Good News of Christ.

Ours is the only religion which looks not to material goods, the goods of this world, as rewards, but to the Love which we hope to experience in the next world.

Ours is the only religion which internalizes spiritual growth, as opposed to those religions which only emphasize the exterior acting out of religion. The Catholic Church from the beginnings of Peter's declaration of faith has pointed to our eternal life with God as the goal of all labor and prayer on earth.

Without this sense of who man is, why he was created, and for Whom he owes his very being, false religions and isms crush humanity under the weight of gross materialism—either in the siren song that this life is all there is or in the false ideal that heaven is merely a series of materialistic rewards and not Union with the Trinity.

Preach and teach while you can. The doors to evangelization slam shut daily. And, tragically, those who stand on the outside of the Church will be facing the onslaught of evil without grace, without community.

If God wills to shorten the tribulations to come for our benefit as believers, how will those without the means to cope with the devastation of their cultures, all once based on Christendom react?

There are pockets of remnant people, but some still cannot see the truth of what is happening around them.

The early, persecuted Church had room to move, disperse, grow. We shall not have this luxury.

Either Catholics stand firm against the three-pronged evils of false religion, secularism and neo-nationalism, or the Church will disappear in many, many places.