The M+G+R
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All Posts For
Second Half of December 2011
For Your Information and Reference
Private Edition
All Posts For
Second Half of December 2011
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Please Note:
(a) When a communication appears on this Forum, it does not automatically imply that The M+G+R Foundation agrees with all of its contents and/or conclusions.
(b) This page will be published for a private audience several times a week.
(a) When a communication appears on this Forum, it does not automatically imply that The M+G+R Foundation agrees with all of its contents and/or conclusions.
(b) This page will be published for a private audience several times a week.
Published on December 31st, 2011 [St. Silvester I, Pope (1st Pope after the deliverance of Catholic Church to Emperor Constantine)]
Religious days of note for...
_______________________________
(1) All Muslim religious Holy Days are dependent on Lunar cyclesthus are different every year. For more details on Special Muslim Days find the link at end of this Document.
(2) In 2012,This Solemnity falls on Sunday, January 8. The Epiphany is not a Holyday of Obligation in the United States, and so always falls on the Sunday between January 2 and 8 instead of January 6 (UNLYC, no. 37). The Mass and Office are both proper, and with the introduction of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, a new proper Vigil Mass for the Epiphany will be celebrated for the first time.
(3) According to the Roman Missal, "Where the Solemnity of the Epiphany is transferred to Sunday, if this Sunday occurs on January 7 or 8, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following Monday" (Proper of Time). Therefore, this Feast will take place on Monday, January 9, 2012. The First Week in Ordinary Time begins on the following day, Tuesday, January 10.
(4) [ ] Denotes Feast Days which do not appear in the most current Vatican Roman Missal
(5) January 22 has been designated by the U.S. Bishops as a "particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life." Because January 22 falls on a Sunday this year, the observance has been moved to Monday, January 23.
JANUARY
1st Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God and
3rd Most Holy Name of Jesus
6th First Friday of the Month and the Epiphany of The Lord (2)
7th First Saturday of the Month
8th Celebration of the Epiphany of The Lord (2)
9th Baptism of The Lord (3)
23rd [Mary's Wedding] (4) and Day of Penance in the US (5)
25th Conversion of St. Paul
31st St. John Bosco
1st Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God and
3rd Most Holy Name of Jesus
6th First Friday of the Month and the Epiphany of The Lord (2)
7th First Saturday of the Month
8th Celebration of the Epiphany of The Lord (2)
9th Baptism of The Lord (3)
23rd [Mary's Wedding] (4) and Day of Penance in the US (5)
25th Conversion of St. Paul
31st St. John Bosco
_______________________________
(1) All Muslim religious Holy Days are dependent on Lunar cyclesthus are different every year. For more details on Special Muslim Days find the link at end of this Document.
(2) In 2012,This Solemnity falls on Sunday, January 8. The Epiphany is not a Holyday of Obligation in the United States, and so always falls on the Sunday between January 2 and 8 instead of January 6 (UNLYC, no. 37). The Mass and Office are both proper, and with the introduction of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, a new proper Vigil Mass for the Epiphany will be celebrated for the first time.
(3) According to the Roman Missal, "Where the Solemnity of the Epiphany is transferred to Sunday, if this Sunday occurs on January 7 or 8, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following Monday" (Proper of Time). Therefore, this Feast will take place on Monday, January 9, 2012. The First Week in Ordinary Time begins on the following day, Tuesday, January 10.
(4) [ ] Denotes Feast Days which do not appear in the most current Vatican Roman Missal
(5) January 22 has been designated by the U.S. Bishops as a "particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life." Because January 22 falls on a Sunday this year, the observance has been moved to Monday, January 23.
Published on December 30th, 2011
From (Mr.) IW @ US
There is a web site under the name Catholic Planet (1) that has set itself up as judge and jury on many Catholic teachings and on Catholic Church authority.
The person who runs the web page, Mr. Ron Conte Jr., refuses to answer which Bishop's authority he is under and which priest is his spiritual director.
Mr. Conte is like many others who have used some truth and then distorted the truth to suit themselves regardless of Church teaching. He suggests that imprimaturs, nihil obstat, Bishop's approval and judgments are of little meaning, but that his judgment is better. He also suggests that a Bishop's statement on spiritual events does not have to be accepted and that it is not necessary to follow what a Pope says! Also that the teachings of the Magisterium are incorrect.
Mr. Conte who describes himself as a humble and pious theologian has no official standing within the Catholic Church, yet speaks as if he is the only one who understands Catholic teaching and theology. That it is he who has the authority to decide which spiritual events in the Church are true or false. Very humble indeed!
Does anyone know which city Ron Conte lives in, or who is his local bishop?
IW
A. According to a long time friend of The M+G+R Foundation....
I cannot figure out what Conte does (or did) for a living. Though I understand that the Evil One pays well.....
There is a web site under the name Catholic Planet (1) that has set itself up as judge and jury on many Catholic teachings and on Catholic Church authority.
The person who runs the web page, Mr. Ron Conte Jr., refuses to answer which Bishop's authority he is under and which priest is his spiritual director.
Mr. Conte is like many others who have used some truth and then distorted the truth to suit themselves regardless of Church teaching. He suggests that imprimaturs, nihil obstat, Bishop's approval and judgments are of little meaning, but that his judgment is better. He also suggests that a Bishop's statement on spiritual events does not have to be accepted and that it is not necessary to follow what a Pope says! Also that the teachings of the Magisterium are incorrect.
Mr. Conte who describes himself as a humble and pious theologian has no official standing within the Catholic Church, yet speaks as if he is the only one who understands Catholic teaching and theology. That it is he who has the authority to decide which spiritual events in the Church are true or false. Very humble indeed!
Does anyone know which city Ron Conte lives in, or who is his local bishop?
IW
A. According to a long time friend of The M+G+R Foundation....
Author Ronald L. Conte Jr. earned his philosophy/theology major at Boston College where he studied
under the esteemed philosopher/theologian Peter Kreeft.
(2)
A search on Intellius.com yielded the result that Conte is 76 years old, with residences in both Massachusetts and Florida. The office of Catholic Planet is P.O. Box 181, Grafton, MA 01519.
The Bishop of the Worchester, MA, Diocese from 1994-2004 was Daniel P. Reilly, one of the "typical example " Bishop for enabling of clerical sex abusers.
The Kreeft (3) connection is where things get interesting. He was a convert from Calvinism (4, 5). He seems to be a darling of conservatives. Kreeft is also a signer of the 1994 document 'Evangelicals and Catholics Together'. The document itself has the "foot prints" of Opus Dei written all over it. And the known signers are all the regular Opus Dei cast of characters. It concludes:
A search on Intellius.com yielded the result that Conte is 76 years old, with residences in both Massachusetts and Florida. The office of Catholic Planet is P.O. Box 181, Grafton, MA 01519.
The Bishop of the Worchester, MA, Diocese from 1994-2004 was Daniel P. Reilly, one of the "typical example " Bishop for enabling of clerical sex abusers.
The Kreeft (3) connection is where things get interesting. He was a convert from Calvinism (4, 5). He seems to be a darling of conservatives. Kreeft is also a signer of the 1994 document 'Evangelicals and Catholics Together'. The document itself has the "foot prints" of Opus Dei written all over it. And the known signers are all the regular Opus Dei cast of characters. It concludes:
"We do know that this is a time of opportunity-and, if of opportunity, then of responsibility-for
Evangelicals and Catholics to be Christians together in a way that helps prepare the world for the
coming of him to whom belongs the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen." (5)
I cannot figure out what Conte does (or did) for a living. Though I understand that the Evil One pays well.....
In addition to Mr. IW's concerns, we find troubling that it seems that, in spite of his
"condemnation" of The M+G+R Foundation, some information
that Mr. Conte "authors" comes from our Domain; information which he modifies as he sees fit.
The one position that we hold that he has not integrated in his pages is that there is very, very little that needs to be changed in the Roman Catholic Church hierarchical structure, governance and practice of the Faith (6). All that is needed is the replacement of its corrupt-to-the-core Administration with a God loving one, and that is what God will do shortly.
The one position that we hold that he has not integrated in his pages is that there is very, very little that needs to be changed in the Roman Catholic Church hierarchical structure, governance and practice of the Faith (6). All that is needed is the replacement of its corrupt-to-the-core Administration with a God loving one, and that is what God will do shortly.
______________________
(1) Catholic Planet
(2) Gleaned from a review of one of his books on Amazon.com, and various online forums.
(3) Source
(4) "..... Work, because our suffering now becomes opus dei, God's work, construction work on his kingdom...." - Kreeft More details
When we see a convert to Catholicism rise to immediate and almost magical literary or academic status (or becoming an overnight sensation on EWTN), the OD connection is a safe bet.
(5) Source
(6) The only changes possible in the Roman Catholic Church structure.
From miguel de Portugal
On a post of December 22nd there were two footnotes that read as follows:
(1) Catholic Planet
(2) Gleaned from a review of one of his books on Amazon.com, and various online forums.
(3) Source
(4) "..... Work, because our suffering now becomes opus dei, God's work, construction work on his kingdom...." - Kreeft More details
When we see a convert to Catholicism rise to immediate and almost magical literary or academic status (or becoming an overnight sensation on EWTN), the OD connection is a safe bet.
(5) Source
(6) The only changes possible in the Roman Catholic Church structure.
From miguel de Portugal
On a post of December 22nd there were two footnotes that read as follows:
Vin Mariani was very popular in its day, even among
royalty such as Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland. Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Saint
Pius X were both Vin Mariani drinkers. Pope Leo awarded a Vatican gold medal to the wine, and also
appeared on a poster endorsing it.(2) Thomas Edison also
endorsed the wine, claiming it helped him stay awake for longer hours. Ulysses S. Grant was also a
fan of the wine, which he began drinking while writing his memoirs towards the end of his life.
More details about Mariani Wine
Plus
The intention was not to denigrate any of the high profile personalities who were fond of cocaine laced wine. At that time the problems associated with cocaine were not understood - and even the learned were seduced by its apparent positive effects.
Other errors due to honest-to-goodness ignorance follow:
Bayer's Heroin
In 1895, the German drug company Bayer marketed diacetylmorphine as an over the counter drug under
the trademark name Heroin. The name was derived from the Greek word "Heros" because of its
perceived "heroic" effects upon a user. It was chiefly developed as a morphine substitute for
cough suppressants that did not have morphine's addictive side-effects. Morphine at the time was a
popular recreational drug, and Bayer wished to find a similar but non-addictive substitute to
market. However, contrary to Bayer's advertising as a "non-addictive morphine substitute," heroin
would soon have one of the highest rates of dependence amongst its users.
(1)
Paregoric for the baby
Paregoric, an opium containing wonder syrup, was a household remedy in the 18th and 19th
centuries, when it was widely used to control diarrhea in adults and children, an expectorant and
cough medicine, calm fretful children, and to rub on the gums to counteract the pain from
teething. (2)
The rubbing on the gums was still being practiced in the mid fifties.
The rubbing on the gums was still being practiced in the mid fifties.
The main point that we are trying to make here is that everything must be looked at within its historical context, while, at the same time historical context cannot be used to justify violations of Divine Law, which is immutable from Alpha to Omega. Believe it or not, even today this historical context principle is being used to justify all of the atrocities committed in the Name of God by Christians of all stripes, East, West and Protestants.
For example...
The Oberkirchen trials represent just a small fraction of those that led to
the execution of some 25,000 alleged witches between
1500 and 1782 in Germany. The country was a hotbed of persecution, says witch-trial expert
Hartmut Hegeler, explaining that some 40 percent of the
60,000 witches who were tortured and killed in Europe during the infamous era were executed
in what is now modern Germany. Hegeler, 65, a retired Protestant minister and college religion
instructor in the western German town of Unna, is now working to rehabilitate these supposed
witches city by city.
And, contrary to common belief, it wasn't just the Catholic Church that encouraged witch hunts. The Protestant Church was behind a significant number of trials. (3)
And, contrary to common belief, it wasn't just the Catholic Church that encouraged witch hunts. The Protestant Church was behind a significant number of trials. (3)
Published on December 28th, 2011 [Memorial of the Holy Innocents]
Did you know that.... when God appoints someone
to fulfill a very important function within His Eternal plans,
does not mean that everything that said
individual does is correct and could be used as an example to imitate because "it is in the
Bible"?
The Holy Scriptures are full of this type of situations which are always glossed over due to either the ignorance or neglect of the alleged Evangelizers. We will use only two examples to illustrate our point.
Case I - King David
King David plays a key role in the history of the Salvation of Mankind. Personally appointed by God and anointed by Samuel [1 Samuel 16:12-13].
Then, what does he do? Have an adulterous affair and, as if that was not enough, assassinates by proxy the husband (Urias) of the woman (Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite) he had sinned with.
As if all of that were not bad enough, through his authority, David causes Joab to place Urias in mortal danger [2 Samuel 11: 16-17], thus forcing Joab to share the consequences of his sin.
In one fell swoop he violates three of the Ten Commandments: (a) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, [Exodus 20:17] ; which in turn caused the violation of (b) Thou shalt not commit adultery; and (c) Thou shalt not kill; [Exodus 20:14 and 13] Plus other existing commandments which Jesus spelled out.
If we fast-forward to the New Testament we read:
The Holy Scriptures are full of this type of situations which are always glossed over due to either the ignorance or neglect of the alleged Evangelizers. We will use only two examples to illustrate our point.
Case I - King David
King David plays a key role in the history of the Salvation of Mankind. Personally appointed by God and anointed by Samuel [1 Samuel 16:12-13].
Then, what does he do? Have an adulterous affair and, as if that was not enough, assassinates by proxy the husband (Urias) of the woman (Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite) he had sinned with.
As if all of that were not bad enough, through his authority, David causes Joab to place Urias in mortal danger [2 Samuel 11: 16-17], thus forcing Joab to share the consequences of his sin.
In one fell swoop he violates three of the Ten Commandments: (a) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, [Exodus 20:17] ; which in turn caused the violation of (b) Thou shalt not commit adultery; and (c) Thou shalt not kill; [Exodus 20:14 and 13] Plus other existing commandments which Jesus spelled out.
If we fast-forward to the New Testament we read:
Jesus said....: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and
the first commandment. And the second is like to
this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the
whole law and the prophets. [Matthew
22:36-40]
These two most important commandments were also violated by David just to satisfy his sexual urge.
Case II - Moses and Elias
Moses tells the sons of Levi....
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon
his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and
let every man kill his brother, and friend, and
neighbour. [Exodus
32:27]
And Elias said...
Take the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And
when they had taken them, Elias brought them down to the
torrent Cison, and killed them there. [1
Kings 18:40]
God will never cause any man
to break Divine Law. Those actions carried out by Moses and Elias were the result of their fallen
human nature and in flagrant violation of perhaps the oldest Divine Commandment (outside of not
eating from the Tree of Knowledge and Life ): Thou shalt
not kill, manifested much earlier
through the following statement made by God referring to Cain:
...whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold.
[Genesis
4:15]
Who is going to believe that the God, Who worked all those wonders to free His people from Egypt or brought fire upon Elias sacrificial offering, was not capable of striking down anyone He Willed whether they were: (a) The ones who went back to idolatry under the watch of the priest Aaron; or (b) The prophets of Baal?
Only very disoriented and under evangelized Christians or those who need to justify their very human and murderous agenda will believe that.
As you may see - all of us, with the sole exceptions of Jesus and Mary, are capable of violating clearly stated Divine Laws no matter what exalted position has God called us to occupy. When any human - no matter what exalted position he may occupy - wilfully violates Divine Law, they are raising themselves to the Divine level, and to them we admonish: Who is like unto God?
You may think: How dare miguel de Portugal judge Moses and Elias? To which we respond: We are not judging Moses and Elias. That is for God to do. We are judging their actions using Divine Law as the Absolute Reference, and will judge anyone's behavior using said standard regardless of their position within any institutionalized religion.
Although the leaders of Institutionalized Religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - have made a centuries long career of treating Divine Laws as Cafeteria fare, Divine Laws are not to be conditioned by man - regardless of who he may think he is. God Who will judge the souls of those who twist fundamental Divine Law as they see fit to further their very human, and quite often demonic, agendas.
Who is going to believe that the God, Who worked all those wonders to free His people from Egypt or brought fire upon Elias sacrificial offering, was not capable of striking down anyone He Willed whether they were: (a) The ones who went back to idolatry under the watch of the priest Aaron; or (b) The prophets of Baal?
Only very disoriented and under evangelized Christians or those who need to justify their very human and murderous agenda will believe that.
As you may see - all of us, with the sole exceptions of Jesus and Mary, are capable of violating clearly stated Divine Laws no matter what exalted position has God called us to occupy. When any human - no matter what exalted position he may occupy - wilfully violates Divine Law, they are raising themselves to the Divine level, and to them we admonish: Who is like unto God?
You may think: How dare miguel de Portugal judge Moses and Elias? To which we respond: We are not judging Moses and Elias. That is for God to do. We are judging their actions using Divine Law as the Absolute Reference, and will judge anyone's behavior using said standard regardless of their position within any institutionalized religion.
Although the leaders of Institutionalized Religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - have made a centuries long career of treating Divine Laws as Cafeteria fare, Divine Laws are not to be conditioned by man - regardless of who he may think he is. God Who will judge the souls of those who twist fundamental Divine Law as they see fit to further their very human, and quite often demonic, agendas.
Published on December 26th, 2011 [Martyrdom of St. Stephen]
Sometimes the Holy Scriptures.... seem
contradictory and/or incoherent, yet they are not once one is given The Keys. We covered the
issues of symbolism and literalism in two prior documents,
(1) but what we are going to cover here is
quite different. Through a few examples, we are going to demonstrate to the Faithful that God is
perfectly coherent even when what we read seems contradictory.
Case I
Case I
The angel Gabriel announces the conception and birth of John and Zachary, John's father-to-be,
said to the angel: Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old
man, and my wife is advanced in years. [Luke
1:18]
Gabriel responded: And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. [Luke 1:20]
Six months later, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary the conception and birth of Jesus: Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. [Luke 1: 31-33] to which
Mary responded: How shall this be done, because I know not man? [Luke 1:34]
Not only did the angel Gabriel not punish Mary for Her doubts, as he did with Zachary, but he gave Her an independent way to confirm that She was not imagining such outright incredible news - becoming the Mother of the Savior of mankind. Gabriel said: And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. [Luke 1:36-37]
Gabriel knew good and well that Mary would immediately go and visit Elizabeth and, through the visible pregnancy of Elizabeth, Mary would know that She was not imagining all of this. Nonetheless, it took Mary a few years before the whole reality of being the Mother of the Son of God finally became an undeniable truth.
Why Zachary was punished for his questioning Gabriel and Mary was not?
Because Zachary should have known better, after all, he was a priest. Mary, even though "....henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." [Luke 1:48], was still a young virgin without the formation a priest should have had.
Gabriel responded: And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. [Luke 1:20]
Six months later, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary the conception and birth of Jesus: Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. [Luke 1: 31-33] to which
Mary responded: How shall this be done, because I know not man? [Luke 1:34]
Not only did the angel Gabriel not punish Mary for Her doubts, as he did with Zachary, but he gave Her an independent way to confirm that She was not imagining such outright incredible news - becoming the Mother of the Savior of mankind. Gabriel said: And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. [Luke 1:36-37]
Gabriel knew good and well that Mary would immediately go and visit Elizabeth and, through the visible pregnancy of Elizabeth, Mary would know that She was not imagining all of this. Nonetheless, it took Mary a few years before the whole reality of being the Mother of the Son of God finally became an undeniable truth.
Why Zachary was punished for his questioning Gabriel and Mary was not?
Because Zachary should have known better, after all, he was a priest. Mary, even though "....henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." [Luke 1:48], was still a young virgin without the formation a priest should have had.
Case II
When God appeared to Moses in the form of a non consuming burning bush and gave Moses the
instructions so that he would lead the Israelites to freedom from Egypt, Moses responded thus:
Who am I that I should go to Pharao, and should bring forth the
children of Israel out of Egypt? [Exodus 3:11]
God proceeded to give Moses all manners of consolation and reassurances before sending him off to see Pharaoh.
On the other hand, God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land: And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. [Numbers 20:11-13]
Why would God punish Moses lack of belief now when at first He did not? Because by now Moses should have had the faith "ten times the size of a mustard seed" after having lived what he live through, yet he did not.
God proceeded to give Moses all manners of consolation and reassurances before sending him off to see Pharaoh.
On the other hand, God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land: And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. [Numbers 20:11-13]
Why would God punish Moses lack of belief now when at first He did not? Because by now Moses should have had the faith "ten times the size of a mustard seed" after having lived what he live through, yet he did not.
In conclusion: This is why we keep reminding our readers that: ...unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more. [Luke 12:48]
That is just how God works and is applicable to all human beings, whether you are a Zachary or a Moses or a simple nobody by world standards.
In the future we will explain why John said that he was not Elias
[John 1:21] while Jesus said that he was
[Matthew 11:
13-14].
__________________
(1) Biblical Literalism or Symbolism Part I and Part II
__________________
(1) Biblical Literalism or Symbolism Part I and Part II
Published on December 24th, 2011 [Christmas Eve]
From miguel de Portugal
The Old Testament reading for the Mass of the 23rd was, as it is every year [our highlights]:
The Old Testament reading for the Mass of the 23rd was, as it is every year [our highlights]:
Malachi 3:1-4
[D-R Bible] - Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb: And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years.
[NIV Bible] - "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Malachi 4:5-6
[D-R Bible] Behold I will send you Elias the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers: lest I come, and strike the earth with anathema.
[NIV Bible]- See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
[D-R Bible] - Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb: And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years.
[NIV Bible] - "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Malachi 4:5-6
[D-R Bible] Behold I will send you Elias the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers: lest I come, and strike the earth with anathema.
[NIV Bible]- See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
Although this prophecy is passed on to the Faithful as referring to the First Coming of Jesus Christ as a humble carpenter, it is not - and never has been.
Paraphrasing the words our Lord Jesus Christ [Luke 4:21]: "Today this scripture is being fulfilled in your reading it."
May those who have Eyes, see, and Ears, hear.... and act upon what they See and Hear in accordance to the Will of God.
Published on December 23rd, 2011
Let
us acknowledge that...
Published on December 22nd, 2011
From (Mr.) IW @ US
I received the following as part of a fundraising e-mail from Inside the Vatican magazine. I send it as an example of the triumphalism of the OD camp. The relevant part [my highlights]:
Note that his comments are all about the Church, without mention of Christ.
IW
A. Thank you for sharing this with our readers. The poor people - they will never know what hit them.
"Turn again to the Church for help, for a message of hope, of justice, of life?
Only Christ can provide help. In addition, He has already provided messages of hope, justice and life which have been prostituted for the benefit of the religious elite of the last 1600 years.
It seems that too much cocaine based (6 to 7.2 mg of cocaine per ounce) Mariani Wine, (1) fully endorsed by Pope Leo XIII (2) (and also consumed by Pope Saint Pius X) has clouded their already selective memory.
Brethren, do not lose hope. Jesus Christ is above all of that and He will cleanse this "Temple" in a more definite manner than He did in Jerusalem, so that His children will finally have a truly Holy House of Prayer where the Will of the Father will be done as it is in Heaven. Amen!
Let us continue to pray!
I received the following as part of a fundraising e-mail from Inside the Vatican magazine. I send it as an example of the triumphalism of the OD camp. The relevant part [my highlights]:
==========================================
December 20, 2011
Dear friends,
Merry Christmas!
A year ago in Rome, at a synod of bishops in the presence of Pope Benedict, there was intense discussion on the challenges facing the faith in our time.
The assembled Church leaders came to a conclusion: that the Church needs to find a way to survive for another 20 years, as one cardinal who was present told me.
Why 20 years?
Because the elites who think they can construct a world without God, without Christ, without the Church, without religion and faith, without the idea of the holy and the transcendent, are still persuaded that their project for a world order without Christ can succeed.
But in 20 years, the grave problems besetting Western culture and mankind in general, from low birth rates and demographic collapse to the corruption of civil, financial and governmental structures, will become so evident that the "elites" will be forced to turn again to the Church for help, for a message of hope, of justice, of life.
So I am writing to my online subscribers to ask for your help to buy 20 years of time - time to keep Inside the Vatican magazine in print through the coming period of crisis, in order to fight this cultural and spiritual battle and to come out on the other side, still strong, still independent, and still in print.
==========================================
Note that his comments are all about the Church, without mention of Christ.
IW
A. Thank you for sharing this with our readers. The poor people - they will never know what hit them.
"Turn again to the Church for help, for a message of hope, of justice, of life?
Only Christ can provide help. In addition, He has already provided messages of hope, justice and life which have been prostituted for the benefit of the religious elite of the last 1600 years.
It seems that too much cocaine based (6 to 7.2 mg of cocaine per ounce) Mariani Wine, (1) fully endorsed by Pope Leo XIII (2) (and also consumed by Pope Saint Pius X) has clouded their already selective memory.
Brethren, do not lose hope. Jesus Christ is above all of that and He will cleanse this "Temple" in a more definite manner than He did in Jerusalem, so that His children will finally have a truly Holy House of Prayer where the Will of the Father will be done as it is in Heaven. Amen!
Let us continue to pray!
_____________________
(1) Vin Mariani was very popular in its day, even among royalty such as Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland. Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Saint Pius X were both Vin Mariani drinkers. Pope Leo awarded a Vatican gold medal to the wine, and also appeared on a poster endorsing it.(2) Thomas Edison also endorsed the wine, claiming it helped him stay awake for longer hours. Ulysses S. Grant was also a fan of the wine, which he began drinking while writing his memoirs towards the end of his life. More details about Mariani Wine
(2) Real poster of Pope Leo XIII promoting Mariani Wine
(1) Vin Mariani was very popular in its day, even among royalty such as Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland. Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Saint Pius X were both Vin Mariani drinkers. Pope Leo awarded a Vatican gold medal to the wine, and also appeared on a poster endorsing it.(2) Thomas Edison also endorsed the wine, claiming it helped him stay awake for longer hours. Ulysses S. Grant was also a fan of the wine, which he began drinking while writing his memoirs towards the end of his life. More details about Mariani Wine
(2) Real poster of Pope Leo XIII promoting Mariani Wine
Published on December 20th, 2011
From (Mr.) BH @ Philippines
[highlights by The M+G+R Foundation]
Our heartfelt thanks to you Miguel for the prayers and sympathy. We ask that you continue to pray for us (the whole Filipino people) as we go through these (what seemed to be one after another) tragedies.
I thank God unceasingly for sparing us (my family and I) from this disaster (as we are residing at the Northern part of the country-Manila), however, as I read and watched the news updates regarding the affected areas, my heart seems to melt with tears of sadness for the families that were/are affected. Whole familes missing or dead, with most of the dead are women and children. (1)
But what is more tragic is that, people from Manila (at least in the community that I live in), are not responding according what I believe is God's Will and purpose for this sufferings. Most, if not all (including me and my family to an extent), continue to be preoccupied by the Holiday activities (i.e.: Christmas parties, shopping, etc.). .. making merry the Christmas holiday... and last Sunday,... in the Holy Mass we heard/attended, no prayer intention (not even a short one) was lifted for the victims of the southern Philippine floods disaster. May God have mercy on us as all!
Again, thank you and God bless!
Yours in Christ,
BH
A. We are the ones indebted to you for such an honest and from-the-heart letter.
We used to wonder about the frequent natural chastisements that God allowed upon a nation that seemed profoundly religious. We no longer wonder, and have been reminded, once again. that appearances are deceiving. Considering that there are, in the Philippines and abroad, Christians praying for the conversion of the Filipino people as a whole, and that Pain is the Megaphone that God uses to help the deaf hear, (2) we expect the onslaught of natural tragedies upon the Philippines to increase further.
As you prayed: May God have mercy on us as all!
[highlights by The M+G+R Foundation]
Our heartfelt thanks to you Miguel for the prayers and sympathy. We ask that you continue to pray for us (the whole Filipino people) as we go through these (what seemed to be one after another) tragedies.
I thank God unceasingly for sparing us (my family and I) from this disaster (as we are residing at the Northern part of the country-Manila), however, as I read and watched the news updates regarding the affected areas, my heart seems to melt with tears of sadness for the families that were/are affected. Whole familes missing or dead, with most of the dead are women and children. (1)
But what is more tragic is that, people from Manila (at least in the community that I live in), are not responding according what I believe is God's Will and purpose for this sufferings. Most, if not all (including me and my family to an extent), continue to be preoccupied by the Holiday activities (i.e.: Christmas parties, shopping, etc.). .. making merry the Christmas holiday... and last Sunday,... in the Holy Mass we heard/attended, no prayer intention (not even a short one) was lifted for the victims of the southern Philippine floods disaster. May God have mercy on us as all!
Again, thank you and God bless!
Yours in Christ,
BH
A. We are the ones indebted to you for such an honest and from-the-heart letter.
We used to wonder about the frequent natural chastisements that God allowed upon a nation that seemed profoundly religious. We no longer wonder, and have been reminded, once again. that appearances are deceiving. Considering that there are, in the Philippines and abroad, Christians praying for the conversion of the Filipino people as a whole, and that Pain is the Megaphone that God uses to help the deaf hear, (2) we expect the onslaught of natural tragedies upon the Philippines to increase further.
As you prayed: May God have mercy on us as all!
____________________
(1) News Report
(2) God's Megaphone: Pain
From (Mr.) IMC @ Philippines
Thank you for your kind words and prayers.
I myself was shocked when I first heard the news. Apparently deforestation and a general lack of preparation made this into a greater disaster than it should have been.
While the general sentiment of those affected has been one of sorrow and despair, there were a few featured in a local news broadcast who were still able to smile and sing Christmas carols on their way to shelter. Their point of view was that although they had lost their homes and material possessions, they still had each other and that was all they needed to celebrate Christmas.
Perhaps in them, and those like them, the fruit you mentioned has started to be manifested.
Glory to God in the highest!
IMC
A. Thank you for your update and encouraging words.
We will most certainly continue to pray that this, and future suffering, produce the fruit God intends when He allows such tragedies to descend upon the Philippines.
Regarding MMP's Gobbi's death.... we read (1):
[our highlights]
(1) News Report
(2) God's Megaphone: Pain
From (Mr.) IMC @ Philippines
Thank you for your kind words and prayers.
I myself was shocked when I first heard the news. Apparently deforestation and a general lack of preparation made this into a greater disaster than it should have been.
While the general sentiment of those affected has been one of sorrow and despair, there were a few featured in a local news broadcast who were still able to smile and sing Christmas carols on their way to shelter. Their point of view was that although they had lost their homes and material possessions, they still had each other and that was all they needed to celebrate Christmas.
Perhaps in them, and those like them, the fruit you mentioned has started to be manifested.
Glory to God in the highest!
IMC
A. Thank you for your update and encouraging words.
We will most certainly continue to pray that this, and future suffering, produce the fruit God intends when He allows such tragedies to descend upon the Philippines.
Regarding MMP's Gobbi's death.... we read (1):
[our highlights]
The day of his death also coincided with the 60th
anniversary to the priesthood of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. Our Blessed Mother must
have accepted the sacrifice of Fr. Gobbi for the Pope and for the unity of the Church. In every
cenacle, he always prayed for the Holy Father and stressed that the second commitment of our
membership in the MMP is our love and unity with the Pope.
When Benedict XVI heard about the death of Fr. Gobbi from Cardinal Ivan Dias, the Holy Father said, "He went straight to Heaven."
In his circular of January 1, 2011, Fr. Gobbi quoted from a talk that he gave in Fatima in 2010. It seems that he had predicted his departure from us. He wrote, "But this year an extraordinary event occurred. On May 12, here in this Cova da Iria, before You, the Holy Father Benedict XVI consecrated all of the priests of the world to your Immaculate Heart. Therefore with this consecration, it seems as if my task might be finished and that my journey would have come to an end." (Fatima, October 25, 2010)
It was on May 8, 1972, while he was praying in the Chapel of the Apparitions at Fatima, that the Mother of God impressed upon Fr. Gobbi her desire that he start the Marian Movement of Priests. May 8, 2012 will mark its 40th anniversary.
On the vigil of Fr. Gobbi's journey to North America in 1994, Our Blessed Mother told him, and also indirectly those who organize cenacles:
When Benedict XVI heard about the death of Fr. Gobbi from Cardinal Ivan Dias, the Holy Father said, "He went straight to Heaven."
In his circular of January 1, 2011, Fr. Gobbi quoted from a talk that he gave in Fatima in 2010. It seems that he had predicted his departure from us. He wrote, "But this year an extraordinary event occurred. On May 12, here in this Cova da Iria, before You, the Holy Father Benedict XVI consecrated all of the priests of the world to your Immaculate Heart. Therefore with this consecration, it seems as if my task might be finished and that my journey would have come to an end." (Fatima, October 25, 2010)
It was on May 8, 1972, while he was praying in the Chapel of the Apparitions at Fatima, that the Mother of God impressed upon Fr. Gobbi her desire that he start the Marian Movement of Priests. May 8, 2012 will mark its 40th anniversary.
On the vigil of Fr. Gobbi's journey to North America in 1994, Our Blessed Mother told him, and also indirectly those who organize cenacles:
"Entrust to the angels of light of my Heart all
that has to do with this new itinerary of yours. They will carry you on their wings and will keep
watch lest you strike your foot against any obstacle. Oh, in your days, how beautiful are the feet
of those who announce peace, of those who spread the good news of salvation and of the triumph of
divine mercy! You must be these announcers of peace. You must be today vigilant sentinels upon the
mountains of confidence and hope." (August 28, 1994, #525cd)
miguel de Portugal comments: Although our position regarding the MMP (2) should be well known to all (MMP headquarters and Vatican included), we must add a few comments in reference to the above news report.
(a) Hitler believed that he escaped the many the attempts against his life because God protected
him so that he could finish his mission. Therefore, apparently providential signs
are not always a sign of God's Blessings.
(b) The "Heaven" Ratzinger must be referring to must be the one where Josemaria Escriva now resides in.
(c) The negative spiritual impact of the AntiChrist (3) consecrating the priests of the world should make everyone pause and ponder.
(d) "Entrust to the angels of light", Mary allegedly said? While the Holy Scriptures reminds us thus: And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works. [2 Cor. 11:14-15]
(b) The "Heaven" Ratzinger must be referring to must be the one where Josemaria Escriva now resides in.
(c) The negative spiritual impact of the AntiChrist (3) consecrating the priests of the world should make everyone pause and ponder.
(d) "Entrust to the angels of light", Mary allegedly said? While the Holy Scriptures reminds us thus: And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works. [2 Cor. 11:14-15]
It was in the year 1994 when Gobbi started showing his true colors. We knew it then
without any physical confirmation. The
confirmation came when the MMP update with the locutions for 1994 reached my hands in Nazaré,
Portugal in 1995.
From miguel de Portugal
On January 22, 2006, we ceased updating our News Commentary (1) page. We intended to start anew the News Commentary page sometime in the Fall of 2007. Obviously it was not the will of God since we simply forgot to start the page again back then.
It is now - just a few days before the beginning of the year 2012 - that God has literally reminded us that the time has come to start the publishing of this page anew for the benefit of those who wish to hear our comments about current political events.
The News Commentary (1) page will be accessible only to those who have access to the Divine Encouragement and Private FYI&R pages. The link to the News Commentary page will appear at the bottom of the Divine Encouragement and Private FYI&R pages. It will be updated frequently as world events warrant it.
______________
(1) News Commentary
On January 22, 2006, we ceased updating our News Commentary (1) page. We intended to start anew the News Commentary page sometime in the Fall of 2007. Obviously it was not the will of God since we simply forgot to start the page again back then.
It is now - just a few days before the beginning of the year 2012 - that God has literally reminded us that the time has come to start the publishing of this page anew for the benefit of those who wish to hear our comments about current political events.
The News Commentary (1) page will be accessible only to those who have access to the Divine Encouragement and Private FYI&R pages. The link to the News Commentary page will appear at the bottom of the Divine Encouragement and Private FYI&R pages. It will be updated frequently as world events warrant it.
______________
(1) News Commentary
Published on December 18th, 2011 [Observance of Mary's Expectation]
From (Mrs.) RM@ P.R.
Do you believe that our Lord wants to be honored in the Feast of Chanukah?
If so, how? As the jewish people do it?
RM
A. Before we venture an answer, let us explain, for our other readers, what the Feast of Chanukah is about.
Do you believe that our Lord wants to be honored in the Feast of Chanukah?
If so, how? As the jewish people do it?
RM
A. Before we venture an answer, let us explain, for our other readers, what the Feast of Chanukah is about.
Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, (also called Chanuka and Hannakuh) celebrates the victory from
Greek religious persecution. The Jewish victory was led by the Macabees in the year 167 B.C.
Upon returning to the temple to rededicate it and re-light the Menorah, the Macabees found only one small flask of oil, enough to light the Menorah for just one day. However, the flask of oil lasted lasted eight days, Hence the celebration lasts eight days. This is also why it is called the Festival of Lights.
Chanukah is a happy and joyous festivity. There is no fasting no eulogies, and no sacrifice. Small gifts are given to family and friends each of the eight days of Chanukah.
A nine branched menorah (instead of the regular seven branch menorah) is used during Chanukah. The nine branched menorah is also known as the Chanukiyah because Chanukah commemorates the miracle that a day's worth of oil for this menorah lasted eight days.
The Chanukah Menorah holds nine candles: eight candles, symbolizing the eight days for which there was enough oil after the consecration of the temple, and an extra candle called the "shamash", which is used for lighting the rest of the candles.
Upon returning to the temple to rededicate it and re-light the Menorah, the Macabees found only one small flask of oil, enough to light the Menorah for just one day. However, the flask of oil lasted lasted eight days, Hence the celebration lasts eight days. This is also why it is called the Festival of Lights.
Chanukah is a happy and joyous festivity. There is no fasting no eulogies, and no sacrifice. Small gifts are given to family and friends each of the eight days of Chanukah.
A nine branched menorah (instead of the regular seven branch menorah) is used during Chanukah. The nine branched menorah is also known as the Chanukiyah because Chanukah commemorates the miracle that a day's worth of oil for this menorah lasted eight days.
The Chanukah Menorah holds nine candles: eight candles, symbolizing the eight days for which there was enough oil after the consecration of the temple, and an extra candle called the "shamash", which is used for lighting the rest of the candles.
We can be certain that in the humble home of Joseph, Mary and Jesus the Feast of Chanukah was
observed - to the chagrin of the Christian anti-Semites who want to forget that Jesus was a Jew
and so was His Mother, Mary.
Of course, in spite of Jesus' being a full blooded Jew, His alleged followers tried to erase from Sacred History anything that even gave a hint of such heritage. For example: The famous statue of David (an individual who rightfully Christians used to prove the fact that Jesus was the Messiah Who was promised to be a descendat of David) shows an uncircumscised David. Imagine!
Therefore, any Christian who would have even hinted at observing Jewish Holy Days would have been torched - at best. Nonetheless, God wanted that Feast to be observed in spite of the twisted mentality of the failed Evangelizers. Therefore, this is what He did:
On A.D. 350, that December 25 was declared the official date for celebrating Christmas by Pope Julius I, for all the wrong reasons. However, little did they know that it was God Who chose it.
Why God chose that particular day?
Of course, in spite of Jesus' being a full blooded Jew, His alleged followers tried to erase from Sacred History anything that even gave a hint of such heritage. For example: The famous statue of David (an individual who rightfully Christians used to prove the fact that Jesus was the Messiah Who was promised to be a descendat of David) shows an uncircumscised David. Imagine!
Therefore, any Christian who would have even hinted at observing Jewish Holy Days would have been torched - at best. Nonetheless, God wanted that Feast to be observed in spite of the twisted mentality of the failed Evangelizers. Therefore, this is what He did:
On A.D. 350, that December 25 was declared the official date for celebrating Christmas by Pope Julius I, for all the wrong reasons. However, little did they know that it was God Who chose it.
Why God chose that particular day?
Well, as we have consistently reminded the Faithful,
Jesus was a Jew.
(1) Thus,
scrolling back to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the great
captivity of the Jews by Nabuchodonosor, the mighty King of Babylon, around the year 586 BC, we
find Jehoiachin (Jechonias), King of Judea, amongst the captives. Then, right after the ascension
of Evil-merodach to the Throne of Babylon, something marvelous happens as related by dear Jeremiah
[52:31-34]:
And it came to pass in the seven and
thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and
twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign,
lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison; And he spake
kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in
Babylon, and changed his prison garments. And Jehoiachin did eat bread before him
continually all the days of his life: and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance
given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of
his life.
Lo and behold! A key link in the genealogy of Jesus [Matthew 1:2-16] is saved and restored to his throne on the five and twentieth day of the twelfth month by his own captors.
Well, there you have it, the five and twentieth day of the twelfth month : December 25th.
Refreshing the mind of the Faithful regarding the genealogy of Jesus we read in Matthew 1:17 the following:
So all the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen
generations; and from David unto the carrying away to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the
carrying away to Babylon unto the Christ fourteen generations.
Thus, David was a key link between the first and second sets of fourteen generations in the Genealogy of Jesus and Jehoiachin was the other key link, this time, between the second and third sets of generations which led to the birth of Christ.
"Hold it!", some will say, while quickly adding "There is a calendar problem! The twelfth month for Jews is not like our twelfth month, December."
As if God would not have thought of that too!
The names of the twelve months are of Babylonian origin. Israel adopted all twelve months of the Babylonian calendar as their civil calendar. Therefore, the twelfth month in our current civil calendar (Gregorian) is December. That is, when we read in Jeremiah about the "twelfth month", it is the twelfth month of the civil calendar and not of the Jewish religious calendar.
But that is not all. God likes to "cover all bases", as the saying goes.
Around (2) the date we celebrate Christmas, the Jews celebrate the Festival of Lights (Chanukah). This Jewish holiday commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Hellenistic Syrians back in 167 BC. After their victory, the Maccabees went in to clean and dedicate the Holy Temple in Jerusalem that the Syrians had defiled.
The Judean heroes could find little undefiled lamp oil. Miraculously, the tiny amount they did find kept the lamps going eight days, until new oil could be found. Thus, the miracle is celebrated with the lighting of the Chanukah candles over eight days.
And just exactly on what day did that such festival started originally? In 1 Macabees 4: 52 we read exactly when:
And they arose before morning on the
five and twentieth day of the ninth month
(which is the month of Tevet)....
...and that would have been exactly our December 25th of today! But that is not all.
Ninth month? That is the exact period of Mary's gestation of Jesus which started on March 25th, which, Lo and Behold! is the first month of the Jewish Religious Calendar. We would not doubt it at all if upon accurate calculations, on the year Jesus was born (5 B.C.), the Annunciation did take place exactly on the first day of the Jewish Religious Year.
The eight days of Chanukah celebration?..... The Octave of Christmas which counts the days from December 25th until Jesus is circumcised, something that is not a fabrication of the Church leaders. It was the Jewish custom.
It seems that we could go on indefinitely "connecting dots" since, in spite of man, everything from God is coherent and harmonious, and, as we often remind our readers: Even satan must serve God!
________________________
(1) He would have also been sent into exile, together with all the other Jews, by the "Oh-so-holy" Queen Isabella of Spain., also known as "Isabella the Catholic"
(2) It is a date that appears to change, yet the dates of Jewish holidays do not change from year to year. It just seems that way to us because feast dates fall on different days on the commonly used Gregorian calendar.
(1) He would have also been sent into exile, together with all the other Jews, by the "Oh-so-holy" Queen Isabella of Spain., also known as "Isabella the Catholic"
(2) It is a date that appears to change, yet the dates of Jewish holidays do not change from year to year. It just seems that way to us because feast dates fall on different days on the commonly used Gregorian calendar.
From miguel de Portugal
In case that additional confirmation is needed.....
Earlier this year we made an effort to acquire a small Menorah in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ Jewish heritage. A local shop told me that they could obtain one for us, therefore we gave them the approval to order it since it was non binding.
By the way - trying to obtain anything Jewish in Spain appears to be more difficult than finding a Hitler Fan Club in Germany. Thus, our joy that this shopkeeper offered to obtain one.
Upon its arrival we went to view it so that a decision could be made whether to purchase it or not. Great was our surprise when the lady produced a nine branched Menorah - something that we had never seen, and about which, obviously, I knew nothing.
Once we found out what it meant and its sole purpose - the decision was not hard to make. It now occupies a special place in our living quarters.
In case that additional confirmation is needed.....
Earlier this year we made an effort to acquire a small Menorah in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ Jewish heritage. A local shop told me that they could obtain one for us, therefore we gave them the approval to order it since it was non binding.
By the way - trying to obtain anything Jewish in Spain appears to be more difficult than finding a Hitler Fan Club in Germany. Thus, our joy that this shopkeeper offered to obtain one.
Upon its arrival we went to view it so that a decision could be made whether to purchase it or not. Great was our surprise when the lady produced a nine branched Menorah - something that we had never seen, and about which, obviously, I knew nothing.
Once we found out what it meant and its sole purpose - the decision was not hard to make. It now occupies a special place in our living quarters.
Published on December 16th, 2011
From miguel de Portugal
On the December 14th post we wrote: "In a future post, miguel de Portugal will share with you, from personal experience, under what conditions God reveals His most profound secrets to humans."
On the December 14th post we wrote: "In a future post, miguel de Portugal will share with you, from personal experience, under what conditions God reveals His most profound secrets to humans."
We will try to do this now without revealing any more that is absolutely necessary about the
actors in this real life drama.
[After I had composed the full text, God vetoed its publication. Therefore, it is obviously not the Will of God that we reaveal this information.]
[After I had composed the full text, God vetoed its publication. Therefore, it is obviously not the Will of God that we reaveal this information.]
From (Mr.) TJ @ US
I was traveling this weekend, so as I always do I printed maps of everywhere we were to go as well as a church and Mass time for Sunday.
Whether I was not paying close enough attention, or more likely, the hand of God nudging me a little, the mass I identified was not Roman Catholic, but National Catholic.
I had never heard of a breakaway group called the National Catholic Church (1), which has a membership only in the tens of thousands. The mass had little details that seemed unusual, and I could not make up my mind throughout whether it was right or not.
For instance, rarely do modern Roman Catholic Churches recite the penitential rite at all. Here, they invited the faithful to kneel, call to mind their sins, and then recited the rite, followed by a general absolution. That last part was something I'd never seen before, and was my first clue that perhaps this was not a true Roman Catholic parish. But they also advertised an Advent Penitential Service for mid-week, something that sounds familiar.
The second clue was that they had not adopted the new English Missal, but were true to the old one that is very familiar to me, and seemed to be adhering to it very tightly. The third clue was that during the Creed, the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father. I know about the long standing difference between Orthodox and Roman versions of this prayer, and am under the impression that neither can really be considered in any serious error.
The sermon was very similar to what my wife later told me she heard at our regular parish.
On the lookout, I also noticed the absence of prayers for bishop or pope as seems universal. During the consecration of the Eucharist, they brought up two chalices and a small platter with a single wafer.
"Oh no" I thought. They're going to pull out the "hosts" from the tabernacle after they're all done. To my surprise, one of the chalices contained many wafers, which were consecrated right under the hands of the priest. Communion was on the tongue, with the priest dipping the host into the precious blood of Christ. Afterwards, it struck me as a very respectful and reverent Mass, and if I'm not mistaken about it I felt the Holy Spirit was there. Even at that point, I made certain assumptions about probable strained relations with the mainstream Roman Church, which exist elsewhere also, but still assumed they were in perfect communion with Rome.
I did not detect any fanaticism, only a warm, welcoming church that in retrospect was a little too open to be Roman. For instance, in the bulletin it says: "All baptized Christians who believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are invited to partake of Holy Communion." Nobody could conceivably be affiliated with this small, obscure church for reasons of politics or career advancement.
TJ
A. Thank you for taking the time to share with our readers this wonderful experience. It is a shame that Rome is not in communion with them since it is obvious that the National Catholic Church is in communion with God.
Regarding the precedence of the Holy Spirit of God - we have addressed that sometime in the last 20 years, therefore, we will just summarize our position regarding that issue. The Roman Catholic position about this issue is as valid as the fable of the Church being built upon the rock of Peter (2) and not upon the Rock of Christ which even Ratzinger has had to admit, although he does not stop those who adore him as such.
_________________
(1) National Catholic Church by Wikipedia
(2) The true and only foundation of Christianity
I was traveling this weekend, so as I always do I printed maps of everywhere we were to go as well as a church and Mass time for Sunday.
Whether I was not paying close enough attention, or more likely, the hand of God nudging me a little, the mass I identified was not Roman Catholic, but National Catholic.
I had never heard of a breakaway group called the National Catholic Church (1), which has a membership only in the tens of thousands. The mass had little details that seemed unusual, and I could not make up my mind throughout whether it was right or not.
For instance, rarely do modern Roman Catholic Churches recite the penitential rite at all. Here, they invited the faithful to kneel, call to mind their sins, and then recited the rite, followed by a general absolution. That last part was something I'd never seen before, and was my first clue that perhaps this was not a true Roman Catholic parish. But they also advertised an Advent Penitential Service for mid-week, something that sounds familiar.
The second clue was that they had not adopted the new English Missal, but were true to the old one that is very familiar to me, and seemed to be adhering to it very tightly. The third clue was that during the Creed, the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father. I know about the long standing difference between Orthodox and Roman versions of this prayer, and am under the impression that neither can really be considered in any serious error.
The sermon was very similar to what my wife later told me she heard at our regular parish.
On the lookout, I also noticed the absence of prayers for bishop or pope as seems universal. During the consecration of the Eucharist, they brought up two chalices and a small platter with a single wafer.
"Oh no" I thought. They're going to pull out the "hosts" from the tabernacle after they're all done. To my surprise, one of the chalices contained many wafers, which were consecrated right under the hands of the priest. Communion was on the tongue, with the priest dipping the host into the precious blood of Christ. Afterwards, it struck me as a very respectful and reverent Mass, and if I'm not mistaken about it I felt the Holy Spirit was there. Even at that point, I made certain assumptions about probable strained relations with the mainstream Roman Church, which exist elsewhere also, but still assumed they were in perfect communion with Rome.
I did not detect any fanaticism, only a warm, welcoming church that in retrospect was a little too open to be Roman. For instance, in the bulletin it says: "All baptized Christians who believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are invited to partake of Holy Communion." Nobody could conceivably be affiliated with this small, obscure church for reasons of politics or career advancement.
TJ
A. Thank you for taking the time to share with our readers this wonderful experience. It is a shame that Rome is not in communion with them since it is obvious that the National Catholic Church is in communion with God.
Regarding the precedence of the Holy Spirit of God - we have addressed that sometime in the last 20 years, therefore, we will just summarize our position regarding that issue. The Roman Catholic position about this issue is as valid as the fable of the Church being built upon the rock of Peter (2) and not upon the Rock of Christ which even Ratzinger has had to admit, although he does not stop those who adore him as such.
_________________
(1) National Catholic Church by Wikipedia
(2) The true and only foundation of Christianity
It is imperative that.... the true Faithful be fully aware of what has obviously transpired in every corner of the Roman Catholic Church so that the Catholic Faith can be defended and upheld, while acknowledging the fact that it is obvious that satan has been pulling the strings of the Roman Catholic Church Administration for centuries.
Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions, and church officials
failed to adequately address the abuse or help the victims, according to a long-awaited
investigation released Friday.
The report by the an independent commission said Catholic officials failed to tackle the widespread abuse "to prevent scandals."
Based on a survey among more than 34,000 people, the commission estimated that one in 10 Dutch children suffered some form of abuse. The number doubled to 20 percent of children who spent some of their youth in a Catholic institution.
The commission said it received some 1,800 complaints of abuse at Catholic schools, seminaries and orphanages and that the institutions suffered from "a failure of oversight." (1)
The report by the an independent commission said Catholic officials failed to tackle the widespread abuse "to prevent scandals."
Based on a survey among more than 34,000 people, the commission estimated that one in 10 Dutch children suffered some form of abuse. The number doubled to 20 percent of children who spent some of their youth in a Catholic institution.
The commission said it received some 1,800 complaints of abuse at Catholic schools, seminaries and orphanages and that the institutions suffered from "a failure of oversight." (1)
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