For Your Information and Reference
February 2020
February 2020
INDEX
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February 28th
From miguel de Portugal
Mrs. PD @ US has brought the following to our attention. Our comments will follow the post.
Statement about nCoV and our pandemic exercise
(1)
[our highlights]
In October 2019, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security hosted a pandemic tabletop exercise called Event 201 with partners, the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Recently, the Center for Health Security has received questions about whether that pandemic exercise predicted the current novel coronavirus outbreak in China.
To be clear, the Center for Health Security and partners did not make a prediction during our tabletop exercise. For the scenario, we modeled a fictional coronavirus pandemic, but we explicitly stated that it was not a prediction. Instead, the exercise served to highlight preparedness and response challenges that would likely arise in a very severe pandemic.
We are not now predicting that the nCoV-2019 outbreak will kill 65 million people. Although our tabletop exercise included a mock novel coronavirus, the inputs we used for modeling the potential impact of that fictional virus are not similar to nCoV-2019.
[our highlights]
In October 2019, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security hosted a pandemic tabletop exercise called Event 201 with partners, the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Recently, the Center for Health Security has received questions about whether that pandemic exercise predicted the current novel coronavirus outbreak in China.
To be clear, the Center for Health Security and partners did not make a prediction during our tabletop exercise. For the scenario, we modeled a fictional coronavirus pandemic, but we explicitly stated that it was not a prediction. Instead, the exercise served to highlight preparedness and response challenges that would likely arise in a very severe pandemic.
We are not now predicting that the nCoV-2019 outbreak will kill 65 million people. Although our tabletop exercise included a mock novel coronavirus, the inputs we used for modeling the potential impact of that fictional virus are not similar to nCoV-2019.
Comments: The above described exercise is not a coincidence any more than the "coincidental" issuing of the Road Map for National Security : Imperative For Change (2) just ten days after Mr. Bush had taken office in January 2001 and a few months before the tragic 9-11 events - which were needed to push through Congress - without review - the Patriot Act and implement the "Imperative For Change".
Dearest reader - if by this time you have not acknowledged what is really taking place, and that we have been announcing since 1992-93, there is nothing else we can do for you.
(1) Official Source
(2) Road Map For National Security : Imperative For Change (Please note date of publication and particularly the contents of page vi)
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February 25th
From miguel de Portugal
We are going to expose the ridiculous, yet relentless, scare-the-world-population tactics for which the coronavirus has been chosen.
The data that we will use is directly from the US Center for Disease Control (1) and the World Health Organization (2).
First let us take a look at the official - by the World Health Organization - state of the ridiculous coronavirus created panic:
According to the World Health Organization and as of 10 AM CET 25 February 2020
[our highlighting]
Globally 80,239 confirmed cases
Deaths 2,666 in China and 34 outside China
[our highlighting]
Globally 80,239 confirmed cases
Deaths 2,666 in China and 34 outside China
With coronavirus placed in its proper global perspective, let us take a look at the Malaria ongoing crisis.
Statistics about Malaria
[our highlighting]
Malaria is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide. It is a leading cause of death
and disease in many developing countries, where young children and pregnant women are the groups
most affected. According to the World Health Organization's World Malaria Report:
Nearly half the world's population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 91 countries and territories.
In 2016, malaria caused an estimated 216 million clinical episodes (read: individuals infected), and 445,000 deaths. An estimated 90% of deaths in 2016 were in the WHO African Region. [Note, that was just for the year 2016.]
Nearly half the world's population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 91 countries and territories.
In 2016, malaria caused an estimated 216 million clinical episodes (read: individuals infected), and 445,000 deaths. An estimated 90% of deaths in 2016 were in the WHO African Region. [Note, that was just for the year 2016.]
Who Is Most Vulnerable to Malaria?
[our highlighting]
The most vulnerable are persons with no or
little immunity against the disease. In areas with high transmission (such as Africa south
of the Sahara), the most vulnerable groups are:
Young children, who have not yet developed partial immunity to malaria
Pregnant women, whose immunity is decreased by pregnancy, especially during the first and second pregnancies
Travelers or migrants coming from areas with little or no malaria transmission, who lack immunity.
In areas with lower transmission (such as Latin America and Asia), residents are less frequently infected. Many people may reach adult age without having built protective immunity and are thus susceptible to the disease, including severe and fatal illness.
Young children, who have not yet developed partial immunity to malaria
Pregnant women, whose immunity is decreased by pregnancy, especially during the first and second pregnancies
Travelers or migrants coming from areas with little or no malaria transmission, who lack immunity.
In areas with lower transmission (such as Latin America and Asia), residents are less frequently infected. Many people may reach adult age without having built protective immunity and are thus susceptible to the disease, including severe and fatal illness.
Now, compare the gravity of the ongoing Malaria crisis with the ridiculous fabricated coronavirus crisis.
We rest our case!
Will the World Masters stop this ridiculous charade? Of course not!
The easy-to-manipulate zombie-like world population is falling for it in full, so they will continue and branch out with other controlling moves.
We are sure that soon they will open detainment centers to isolate people and prevent the spread of this (sarcasm on) "Oh, my God what a terrible threat to humanity!" (sarcasm off)
Do you now see how easy they will pass the False Christ (3) as if it were the real Jesus Christ?
(1) CDC on Malaria
(2) Source
(3) The False Christ
From Mrs. PD @ US
In reference to the latest document on the Board which compares the real tragedy about malaria with the coronavirus scam, the New York Times published the following article (1) on January 22nd, 2017:
Several interwoven threads shape this situation: the global battle against malaria; the nationwide
ban on almost all uses of DDT that the E.P.A. imposed in 1972; and the work of Rachel Carson
(2), who became a guiding spirit of the modern environmental movement with
her groundbreaking 1962 best seller “Silent Spring.”
DDT was also used to kill mosquitoes that spread malaria. By the early 1950s, the disease had essentially been eradicated in the United States. But it still had other nations in its grip, especially in Africa, making a comeback after it seemed on the verge of eradication.
Critics - generally, though not exclusively, on the political right - drew a direct line from Point A (“Silent Spring”) to Point B (the DDT ban) to Point C (more deaths), and accused Carson of perpetrating “junk science.” Some even labeled her one of history's great villains.
Their language could be, to put it mildly, superheated, including descriptions of her as a mass murderer. In “State of Fear,” a 2004 Michael Crichton novel in which the villains are eco-terrorists, a protagonist says that “banning DDT killed more people than Hitler".
DDT was also used to kill mosquitoes that spread malaria. By the early 1950s, the disease had essentially been eradicated in the United States. But it still had other nations in its grip, especially in Africa, making a comeback after it seemed on the verge of eradication.
Critics - generally, though not exclusively, on the political right - drew a direct line from Point A (“Silent Spring”) to Point B (the DDT ban) to Point C (more deaths), and accused Carson of perpetrating “junk science.” Some even labeled her one of history's great villains.
Their language could be, to put it mildly, superheated, including descriptions of her as a mass murderer. In “State of Fear,” a 2004 Michael Crichton novel in which the villains are eco-terrorists, a protagonist says that “banning DDT killed more people than Hitler".
PD
A. We are sure that the World Masters, about whose plans we confirmed in a recent document, were absolutely delighted. They found a way to protect the privileged by eradicating malaria. Once the privileged were out of the proverbial woods, they pulled the plug (prohibiting the use of DDT worldwide) and began the systematic, but very natural (let the mosquitos do the dirty work), extermination of the poor Africans.
Oh, yes! The "Christianity" of it all! The way we see it, hell must be reaching the "standing room only" condition soon.
(1) NYT Article
(2) Rachel Carson by Wikipedia
Back to INDEX
February 10th
From Mr. LP @ USA
Benedict XVI gave a sermon back on July 2009 with a favorable reference to Teilhard de Chardin (1).
Following is the entire text, with key parts in bold, and my comments in blue.
This all seems to be in line with his encyclical and other things Benedict has said and done.
If I have erred in my understanding of this, let me know. (2)
LP
CELEBRATION OF VESPERS WITH THE FAITHFUL OF AOSTA
(ITALY)
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Cathedral of Aosta
Friday, 24 July 2009
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Cathedral of Aosta
Friday, 24 July 2009
Your Excellency,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
First of all, I should like to say "Thank you" to you, Your Excellency, for your kind words of introduction to the great history of this Cathedral Church, thus making me feel that not only do we pray here, at this moment, but that we can pray through the centuries in this beautiful church.
And my thanks to all of you, who have come to pray with me, and in this way to manifest this network of prayer which binds us all at all times.
In this brief Homily I should like to say a few words about the prayer which concludes these Vespers as it seems to me that the excerpt from the Letter to the Romans which has just been read is interpreted and transformed here into prayer.
The prayer is composed of two parts: an address a heading, so to speak and then the prayer, which consists of two requests.
Let us begin with the address, which is also, in its turn, composed of two parts: here the "you" to whom we speak is made more specific, so that we can knock with greater force on the heart of God.
In the Italian text, we read simply: "Merciful Father". The original Latin is a little fuller; it says, "Almighty and Merciful God". In my recent Encyclical, I have tried to show the prime importance of God both in one's private life and in the life of society, of the world, of history.
Certainly the relationship with God is a profoundly personal matter, and the individual is a being in relationship with others. If the fundamental relationship that with God is not living, is not lived, then no other relationship can find its right form. But this is also true for society, for humanity as such. Here, too, if God is missing, if God is discounted, if he is absent, then the compass is lacking which would show the way forward, the direction to follow in relationships as a whole.
God! We must bring the reality of God back into our world, make him known and present.
[ Comment: what have the churchmen been doing, if not this? And if "the reality of God" is absent from the world, isn't this a symbolic admission that the Sacrifice has been taken away in most cases, and that Christ is not present now in the Eucharist? ]
But how can we know God? During the "ad limina" visits I always speak with the Bishops, in particular African Bishops, but also those from Asia and Latin America where traditional religions still exist, about these religions. They differ greatly from one another in many details, but they also share common elements. They all know that God exists, one God, that "god" is a singular noun, that the gods are not God, that God exists, God. But at the same time this God seems absent, far away, he does not seem to come into our daily lives, he hides, we do not know his Face. Therefore the religions deal for the most part with objects, with powers nearer to us, with spirits, ancestors and so on, since God himself is too far away, and so we have to make do with these closer powers. And the act of evangelization consists precisely in the fact that the distant God draws near, that he is no longer far away, but is close to us, that this "known and unknown" figure now makes himself truly known, shows his Face, reveals himself: the veil covering his Face disappears and he shows his true Face. And so, since God himself is now near us, we can know him, he shows us his Face and enters our world. There is no longer any need to make do with those other powers, because he is the true power, the Omnipotent.
I do not know why the word "omnipotent" has been omitted from the Italian text, but it is true that we feel a little threatened by the word "omnipotence": it seems to limit our freedom, it seems to be too strong. But we must learn that the omnipotence of God is not an arbitrary power, because God is Good, he is Truth, and therefore he can do anything, but he cannot act against good, he cannot act against truth, love or freedom, because he himself is good, love, and true freedom. And therefore nothing he does can ever be in contrast with truth, love and freedom. The contrary is true. He, God, is the guardian of our freedom, of love and of truth. This eye which looks upon us is not an evil eye watching us; it is the presence of love which will never abandon us but rather gives us the certainty that Good is being, Good is living: it is the eye of love that gives us the air to live.
Almighty and Merciful God. A Roman prayer, connected with the text of the Book of Wisdom, says: "O God, show your omnipotence through pardon and mercy". The summit of God's power is mercy, pardon. In our modern-day worldly concept of power, we think of someone who owns large estates, who has some say in the world of economics, who has capital and can influence the world of the market. We think of someone who has military power, who can threaten. Stalin's question, "How many armed divisions does the Pope have?" still characterizes the common idea of power. Whoever has power and many worldly effects may be dangerous, as he could threaten and destroy. But Revelations tells us. "It is not so"; true power is the power of grace and of mercy. In his mercy, God demonstrates true power.
And so the second part of this address says: "You have redeemed the world with the Passion, with the suffering of Your Son". God has suffered, and through his Son he suffers with us. This is the summit of his power, that he can suffer with us. In this way he demonstrates the true divine power: he desired to suffer with us and for us. In our suffering we are never left alone. God, through his Son, suffered first, and he is close to us in our suffering.
However a difficult question remains, one I cannot answer at length at this moment: why was it necessary to suffer to save the world? It was necessary because there exists in the world an ocean of evil, of injustice, hatred, and violence, and the many victims of hatred and injustice have the right to see justice done. God cannot ignore the cries of the suffering who are oppressed by injustice. To forgive is not to ignore, but to transform. God must enter into this world in order to set against the ocean of injustice a larger ocean of goodness and of love. And this is the event of the Cross: from that moment, against the ocean of evil, there exists a river that is boundless, and so ever mightier than all the injustices of the world, a river of goodness, truth, and love. Thus God forgives, coming into the world and transforming it so that there may be a real strength, a river of goodness wider than all the evil that could ever exist.
So our address to God becomes an address to ourselves: God invites us to join with him, to leave behind the ocean of evil, of hatred, violence, and selfishness and to make ourselves known, to enter into the river of his love.
This is precisely the content of the first part of the prayer that follows: "Let Your Church offer herself to You as a living and holy sacrifice". This request, addressed to God, is made also to ourselves. It is a reference to two passages from the Letter to the Romans. We ourselves, with our whole being, must be adoration and sacrifice, and by transforming our world, give it back to God. The role of the priesthood is to consecrate the world so that it may become a living host, a liturgy: so that the liturgy may not be something alongside the reality of the world, but that the world itself shall become a living host, a liturgy. This is also the great vision of Teilhard de Chardin: in the end we shall achieve a true cosmic liturgy, where the cosmos becomes a living host.
[ The host, after consecration, becomes the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Adoration of the Sacrament is adoration of Christ really present in the consecrated host. So ... it seems that Ratzinger wants us to make the world a living host, and then to adore it. Or have I misunderstood him? ]
And let us pray the Lord to help us become priests in this sense, to aid in the transformation of the world, in adoration of God, beginning with ourselves.
That our lives may speak of God, that our lives may be a true liturgy, an announcement of God, a door through which the distant God may become the present God, and a true giving of ourselves to God.
Then the second request. We pray: "Let Your people know always the fullness of Your love". The Latin text reads: "Satisfy us with Your love". The text refers to the Psalm we have sung, which says: "Open your hand and satisfy the hunger of every living creature". How much hunger there is on Earth, hunger for bread in many parts of the world: Your Excellency has also spoken of the suffering of the families here: hunger for justice, hunger for love. And with this prayer, we pray to God: "Open Your hand and satisfy fully the hunger of every living creature. Satisfy our hunger for the truth and for Your love".
So be it. Amen.
[ Maybe he should have just said "So mote it be!" and declared himself openly. ]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
First of all, I should like to say "Thank you" to you, Your Excellency, for your kind words of introduction to the great history of this Cathedral Church, thus making me feel that not only do we pray here, at this moment, but that we can pray through the centuries in this beautiful church.
And my thanks to all of you, who have come to pray with me, and in this way to manifest this network of prayer which binds us all at all times.
In this brief Homily I should like to say a few words about the prayer which concludes these Vespers as it seems to me that the excerpt from the Letter to the Romans which has just been read is interpreted and transformed here into prayer.
The prayer is composed of two parts: an address a heading, so to speak and then the prayer, which consists of two requests.
Let us begin with the address, which is also, in its turn, composed of two parts: here the "you" to whom we speak is made more specific, so that we can knock with greater force on the heart of God.
In the Italian text, we read simply: "Merciful Father". The original Latin is a little fuller; it says, "Almighty and Merciful God". In my recent Encyclical, I have tried to show the prime importance of God both in one's private life and in the life of society, of the world, of history.
Certainly the relationship with God is a profoundly personal matter, and the individual is a being in relationship with others. If the fundamental relationship that with God is not living, is not lived, then no other relationship can find its right form. But this is also true for society, for humanity as such. Here, too, if God is missing, if God is discounted, if he is absent, then the compass is lacking which would show the way forward, the direction to follow in relationships as a whole.
God! We must bring the reality of God back into our world, make him known and present.
[ Comment: what have the churchmen been doing, if not this? And if "the reality of God" is absent from the world, isn't this a symbolic admission that the Sacrifice has been taken away in most cases, and that Christ is not present now in the Eucharist? ]
But how can we know God? During the "ad limina" visits I always speak with the Bishops, in particular African Bishops, but also those from Asia and Latin America where traditional religions still exist, about these religions. They differ greatly from one another in many details, but they also share common elements. They all know that God exists, one God, that "god" is a singular noun, that the gods are not God, that God exists, God. But at the same time this God seems absent, far away, he does not seem to come into our daily lives, he hides, we do not know his Face. Therefore the religions deal for the most part with objects, with powers nearer to us, with spirits, ancestors and so on, since God himself is too far away, and so we have to make do with these closer powers. And the act of evangelization consists precisely in the fact that the distant God draws near, that he is no longer far away, but is close to us, that this "known and unknown" figure now makes himself truly known, shows his Face, reveals himself: the veil covering his Face disappears and he shows his true Face. And so, since God himself is now near us, we can know him, he shows us his Face and enters our world. There is no longer any need to make do with those other powers, because he is the true power, the Omnipotent.
I do not know why the word "omnipotent" has been omitted from the Italian text, but it is true that we feel a little threatened by the word "omnipotence": it seems to limit our freedom, it seems to be too strong. But we must learn that the omnipotence of God is not an arbitrary power, because God is Good, he is Truth, and therefore he can do anything, but he cannot act against good, he cannot act against truth, love or freedom, because he himself is good, love, and true freedom. And therefore nothing he does can ever be in contrast with truth, love and freedom. The contrary is true. He, God, is the guardian of our freedom, of love and of truth. This eye which looks upon us is not an evil eye watching us; it is the presence of love which will never abandon us but rather gives us the certainty that Good is being, Good is living: it is the eye of love that gives us the air to live.
Almighty and Merciful God. A Roman prayer, connected with the text of the Book of Wisdom, says: "O God, show your omnipotence through pardon and mercy". The summit of God's power is mercy, pardon. In our modern-day worldly concept of power, we think of someone who owns large estates, who has some say in the world of economics, who has capital and can influence the world of the market. We think of someone who has military power, who can threaten. Stalin's question, "How many armed divisions does the Pope have?" still characterizes the common idea of power. Whoever has power and many worldly effects may be dangerous, as he could threaten and destroy. But Revelations tells us. "It is not so"; true power is the power of grace and of mercy. In his mercy, God demonstrates true power.
And so the second part of this address says: "You have redeemed the world with the Passion, with the suffering of Your Son". God has suffered, and through his Son he suffers with us. This is the summit of his power, that he can suffer with us. In this way he demonstrates the true divine power: he desired to suffer with us and for us. In our suffering we are never left alone. God, through his Son, suffered first, and he is close to us in our suffering.
However a difficult question remains, one I cannot answer at length at this moment: why was it necessary to suffer to save the world? It was necessary because there exists in the world an ocean of evil, of injustice, hatred, and violence, and the many victims of hatred and injustice have the right to see justice done. God cannot ignore the cries of the suffering who are oppressed by injustice. To forgive is not to ignore, but to transform. God must enter into this world in order to set against the ocean of injustice a larger ocean of goodness and of love. And this is the event of the Cross: from that moment, against the ocean of evil, there exists a river that is boundless, and so ever mightier than all the injustices of the world, a river of goodness, truth, and love. Thus God forgives, coming into the world and transforming it so that there may be a real strength, a river of goodness wider than all the evil that could ever exist.
So our address to God becomes an address to ourselves: God invites us to join with him, to leave behind the ocean of evil, of hatred, violence, and selfishness and to make ourselves known, to enter into the river of his love.
This is precisely the content of the first part of the prayer that follows: "Let Your Church offer herself to You as a living and holy sacrifice". This request, addressed to God, is made also to ourselves. It is a reference to two passages from the Letter to the Romans. We ourselves, with our whole being, must be adoration and sacrifice, and by transforming our world, give it back to God. The role of the priesthood is to consecrate the world so that it may become a living host, a liturgy: so that the liturgy may not be something alongside the reality of the world, but that the world itself shall become a living host, a liturgy. This is also the great vision of Teilhard de Chardin: in the end we shall achieve a true cosmic liturgy, where the cosmos becomes a living host.
[ The host, after consecration, becomes the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Adoration of the Sacrament is adoration of Christ really present in the consecrated host. So ... it seems that Ratzinger wants us to make the world a living host, and then to adore it. Or have I misunderstood him? ]
And let us pray the Lord to help us become priests in this sense, to aid in the transformation of the world, in adoration of God, beginning with ourselves.
That our lives may speak of God, that our lives may be a true liturgy, an announcement of God, a door through which the distant God may become the present God, and a true giving of ourselves to God.
Then the second request. We pray: "Let Your people know always the fullness of Your love". The Latin text reads: "Satisfy us with Your love". The text refers to the Psalm we have sung, which says: "Open your hand and satisfy the hunger of every living creature". How much hunger there is on Earth, hunger for bread in many parts of the world: Your Excellency has also spoken of the suffering of the families here: hunger for justice, hunger for love. And with this prayer, we pray to God: "Open Your hand and satisfy fully the hunger of every living creature. Satisfy our hunger for the truth and for Your love".
So be it. Amen.
[ Maybe he should have just said "So mote it be!" and declared himself openly. ]
(1) Who is Teilhard de Chardin?
(2) You have grasped the well hidden essence of this homily - and of his soul.
Back to INDEX
February 4th
From Mr. LP @ USA - Published on January 3rd, 2010
Considering the following section of Benedict XVI's Caritas en Veritate (1):
==================
42. Sometimes globalization is viewed in fatalistic terms, as if the dynamics involved were the product of anonymous impersonal forces or structures independent of the human will [102]. In this regard it is useful to remember that while globalization should certainly be understood as a socio-economic process, this is not its only dimension. Underneath the more visible process, humanity itself is becoming increasingly interconnected; it is made up of individuals and peoples to whom this process should offer benefits and development [103], as they assume their respective responsibilities, singly and collectively. The breaking-down of borders is not simply a material fact: it is also a cultural event both in its causes and its effects. If globalization is viewed from a deterministic standpoint, the criteria with which to evaluate and direct it are lost. As a human reality, it is the product of diverse cultural tendencies, which need to be subjected to a process of discernment. The truth of globalization as a process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given by the unity of the human family and its development towards what is good. Hence a sustained commitment is needed so as to promote a person-based and community-oriented cultural process of world-wide integration that is open to transcendence.
==================
42. Sometimes globalization is viewed in fatalistic terms, as if the dynamics involved were the product of anonymous impersonal forces or structures independent of the human will [102]. In this regard it is useful to remember that while globalization should certainly be understood as a socio-economic process, this is not its only dimension. Underneath the more visible process, humanity itself is becoming increasingly interconnected; it is made up of individuals and peoples to whom this process should offer benefits and development [103], as they assume their respective responsibilities, singly and collectively. The breaking-down of borders is not simply a material fact: it is also a cultural event both in its causes and its effects. If globalization is viewed from a deterministic standpoint, the criteria with which to evaluate and direct it are lost. As a human reality, it is the product of diverse cultural tendencies, which need to be subjected to a process of discernment. The truth of globalization as a process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given by the unity of the human family and its development towards what is good. Hence a sustained commitment is needed so as to promote a person-based and community-oriented cultural process of world-wide integration that is open to transcendence.
==================
Why wouldn't the political-religious system described in Revelation 13 be a perfect match for Benedict XVI? It is a "person-based" system: everyone must take the mark individually, or else. It is community oriented, applying to everyone, great or small. It is certainly based on "world-wide integration", and it is "open to transcendence" ... in the form of worship of the Dragon and the Beast.
LP
(1) "Caritas in veritate" - Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI
From Mr. CB (1) @ USA - Posthumously
As I had some time to spare during my recent visit to New York City during the 2010 Holy Day Season, I decided to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral - where I had been baptized and where I was a parishioner. Approaching the Cathedral I passed a very famous world class jeweler, Cartier. In addition to holiday season decor in their windows, they had a sound system piping Christmas Carols to the street.
When I passed it played - not Christmas carols - but rather the theme to the film The Exorcist ('Tubular Bells'). No joke. I was rather taken aback and stopped to listen - it was for real.
We have discussed in the past the Cathedral security. It is worse then I described: some 12-15 security men were all around the inside of the building, eying me suspiciously. Yet a mere handful of tourists were inside (30 in a building seating 3000). I felt I was being watched... and I was. By them and by more security cams then I could count. All over the place. I was filmed more in those 30 minutes then in all my life!
This was mid-morning on a sunny day, yet the building was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. In contrast to previous years when it would bustle with tourists whom you would have to push past to get to a pew.
The overall impression of the interior was dark, somber, tomb-like. Reminding me more of a museum. The interior is white and brightly lit by the stained glass alone. It appeared and "felt".... dark. The phrase/concept "Hollywood stage set' flashed into my mind. All was its usual very clean and well maintained state, yet something was now different. Even from a few years ago.
Rather then the former experience of it being a house of prayer weighed down by lovely works of art and excessive candle/statue veneration......... now it had been transformed (spiritually, not by physical changes) into a a house of money, framed as a 'religious stage set'. The comic idea of pushing it over as it was made of cardboard came to mind. A stage set for the liturgy as a 'performance art' for the consumption for the disoriented sheep. Run by the 'wolves' you have alluded to..... all carefully calculated.
All that was missing in this regard were the mechanically operated idols of ancient pagan temples which would move, belch forth smoke, 'speak', etc...... to keep the 'believers' believing, and enriching the temple priests.
The Blessed Sacrament was in the Lady Chapel, as it has been for many years now. Only two other souls were there with me, praying. Yet I was being observed by at least 2 security guards and 3 cameras (or more....) in this small chapel. It had been recently and elegantly restored. A very lovely 'stage set' was what came to mind.
While I cannot put into words what I felt, the impression of the Tabernacle as "an empty home" was perceived. Lovely but empty work of art, completing the 'stage set' of spiritual deception (as you have alluded to in re the now organized and universal deception of passing out mostly unconsecrated hosts as "real"). Being aware of rather oppressive 'eyes' (like unseen yet very real red, glowing eyes of salivating wolves observing prey while hidden in a forest) observing me, I made a Spiritual Communion.
Making my way out, I made a point of observing all of the many side altars and chapels (being eyed and possibly followed). Most had been well and expensively restored, via the gifts of OD, Knights of Malta, et al, servitors of Mammon, as the donor plaques noted. Two of them had been rebuilt as new shrines for the veneration of statues, using pieces of altars ripped out of two of the churches demolished by Cardinal Egan. They were aesthetic merit: a hodgepodge of mismatched architectural salvage pieces assembled by someone with no depth perception. Showy external 'piety' intended to fool fools, concocted by someone reading the "Cliff Notes" version of "Traditionalism for Dummies". Shallow beyond belief.
One, in the former Baptistery, was a shrine to St. Jude - the patron of lost causes. No comment...... The other was a shrine to Polish saints, in the former side altar of St. Casimir. Now including St. Faustina and more 'others' then I could count, including their Relics. It was visual, artistic and spiritual confusion - with the seeming true point of focus being the candle donation box. Ironically these, along with the Gift Shop are what you first see, on opposite side aisles, as you enter. All that was missing was a slot machine.....
At the back, where there formerly had been statues of Sts. Peter and Paul, there were now portraits of Benedict/Ratzinger and Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Enshrined as a Wal-Mart would have a portrait of its founder, Sam Walton. Quite befitting a temple of Mammon, masquerading as a house of God.
I left, passing Cartier's again..... and their sound system played the "Exorcist" theme again.
Very appropriate.
CB
A. That was ten tears ago! Imagine where we are at now!
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(1) We were well acquainted with CB and we have never had reason to doubt the details and inside information he provides.
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January 31st
From Mrs. Randy Engel @ US
The Five Eras of the Abuse Crisis in the Church - By Dr. Jesse Russell
Let Catholic writer Dr. Jesse Russell take you briefly through the intergenerational network of homosexual and pederast cardinals and bishops in AmChurch over the last 100 years beginning with Cardinals Francis Spellman of NY and William O'Connell of Boston. It's certainly worth ten minutes of your time.
It’s a pleasure serving you and Christ,
Randy Engel
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