The Little-Known St. Thérèse

by Luis C. Azevedo
On October 1, the liturgy of the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, “the greatest saint of modern times,” in the words of Pope Saint Pius X. The charm of her “Little Way,” with all its sweetness and mercy, admirably harmonizes with the traits of a genuine warrior, “I would die in a battlefield, arms in hand,” she once stated.¹

Her soul had infinite aspirations: she wanted to be a warrior, priest, apostle, doctor of the Church and martyr; she felt the courage of a crusader, of a Papal Zouave; she wanted to die in the battlefield defending the Church; she wanted to preach the Gospel to the four continents and to the remotest islands. “‘Jesus, Jesus’–she would say–‘if I were to write all my desires, I would have to borrow Thy book of life; I wanted to have achieved all these deeds for Thee….’”²

“A French soldier, defender of the Church and admirer of Joan of Arc.”

An Admirer of Saint Joan of Arc
This warrior aspect of Saint Thérèse’s soul is dominant in her moral profile. Yet, even those who love her most, tend to forget this trait.

“In my childhood, I dreamed of combating in the battlefield. When I began to learn the history of France, I was enchanted with the deeds of Joan of Arc; I felt in my heart a desire and courage to imitate them.”³

Saint Thérèse gradually became increasingly aware of the profound similarities between her life and that of the Virgin of Domrémy. Thus, on January 21, 1894, the 101st anniversary of the martyrdom of the unfortunate King Louis XVI, she wrote a theater play titled, The Mission of Joan of Arc. The following year, as Pope Leo XIII declared her “Venerable,” and France celebrated it’s holy martyr and warrior, Saint Thérèse wrote the play, Joan of Arc Fulfills Her Mission, which the whole religious community staged. Saint Thérèse played the role of Joan of Arc.

The play featured the conquest of Orleans, the coronation of King Charles VII, but above all Saint Joan of Arc’s burning at the stake, which to Saint Thérèse meant the apex of the achievement of the heroine’s mission.

Saint Thérèse signed her Canticle to obtain the canonization of Saint Joan of Arc as “A French soldier, defender of the Church and admirer of Joan of Arc.”

Saint Joan, the Virgin of Orleans, and Saint Thérèse, the Virgin of Lisieux, are two models of militant Catholic combatants against the enemies of the Church and of Christian Civilization. Two great saints, though leading such different lives–one a strictly military life and the other a contemplative one–nonetheless have profound affinities with each other.

Saint Thérèse did not live to see Saint Joan’s canonization, and she was far from imagining that, on May 18, 1925, Pope Pius XI would present her, Saint Thérèse, to the Catholic world as “a new Joan of Arc”; and that during the Second World War, Pope Pius XII would declare her, like the Virgin of Orleans, “secondary patron of all France!”

A Crusader Soul; Apparitions; the Combatant
The idea of fight constantly fed the strong soul of the saint of the “Shower of Roses.”

“I went to sleep for a few moments during prayer,” she would tell Mother Agnes. “I dreamt there were not enough soldiers for a war against the Prussians. You said: We need to send Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus. I answered that I agreed, but that I would prefer to fight at a holy war. But finally I went all the same.

“Oh no, I would not fear going to war. With what joy, for example, at the time of the Crusades, I would have gone to combat heretics. Yes! I would not have been afraid to be shot; I would not have feared the fire!⁴

“When I think I’m dying in bed! I would want to die in an arena!”⁵

The same combative spirit animated her in the struggles of the spiritual life: “Sanctity! We need to conquer it at the tip of the sword…we need to fight!”⁶

Such is the mettle of this extremely active and energetic warrior soul, according to the testimonies of those who knew her: “Under a suave and gracious aspect [she] revealed at every instant, in her actions, a strong character and a manly soul; she would not be discouraged in her dedication to the interests of the Church.”⁷

“This is a manly soul, a great man,” Pope Pius XI later said. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus thus followed the advice of the great Saint Thérèse of Avila to her daughters: “I want you not to be women in anything, but equal to strong men in everything!”⁸

St.Thérèse’s virtue imposes itself with incredible majesty.

Thus wrote Cardinal Vico about the Virgin of Lisieux, “Thérèse’s virtue imposes itself with incredible majesty: the child becomes a hero; a virgin with her hands full of flowers causes astonishment with her manly courage.”⁹

A handwriting analysis of Saint Thérèse’s Act of Profession gives this admirable testimony: “An iron-clad resolution, a great will to fight, an indomitable energy are expressed here. These traits show at the same time the fright of a child and the decisiveness of a warrior.”¹⁰

In 1914, when the First World War breaks out, Saint Thérèse appears some forty times in various battlefields, at times holding a cross in her hand, at times a saber! The soldiers see her; she speaks to them matter-of-factly, resolves their doubts, overcomes their temptations and calms their fears. She protects, consoles and converts them.

French soldiers would invoke her as “my little sister of the trenches,” “my war patroness,” “the shield of soldiers,” “the angel of battles” and “my dear little Captain.” A soldier wrote, “In fact, that gentle Saint will be the great heroine of this war.” Another commented, “I think of her when the cannon thunders with great roar.”

Countless were the artillery pieces and planes named after Sister Thérèse; whole regiments were consecrated to her. Countless relics of the saint that miraculously stopped rifle bullets like real shields, saving the lives of the soldiers who carried them, are in her convent of Lisieux, a testimony to the great prodigies of the one who, in fact, “died with arms in her hand.”¹¹

____________________
Notes:
1. Poésies de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, “Mes armes,” March 25, 1897, Office Central de Lisieux, 1951.
2. Manuscrits Autobiographiques, dedicated to Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart, Office Central de Lisieux, 1956, folio 4 t’.
3. Lettres de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, Letter to Father Belliere, Office Central de Lisieux, 1948.
4. Carnet Jaune, 4.8.6 in Demiers entretiens, Éditions du Centenaire, Desclée de Brouwer ­Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 1971.
5. Summarium of the Process of Beatification and Canonization 1, testimony of Celine, 2753.
6. Correspondance Générale, Éditions du Cerf-Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1972, t. I (1877–1890), Letter (no. 89) Celine, April 26, 1889; Letter to Leonie, May 20, 1894.
7. Summarium of the Process of Beatification and Canonization 1, testimony of Mother Agnes, 706, and of Mother Therese of Saint Augustine, 1072.
8. Lettres de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, as quoted by Saint Therese of Avila in a letter to Father Rouland, November 10, 1896, Office Central de Lisieux, 1948.
9. L’Esprit de Ia Bienheureuse Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus d’après ses écrits et des témoins occulaires de sa vie. Office Central de Lisieux, 1924, Preface, at VIII.
10. Father François de Sainte-Marie, OCDP, Manuscrits Autobiographiques, Office Central de Lisieux, 1956, vol. II, 53.
11. Cf. Interventions de Sr. Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus pendant la guerre, Pluie de Roses, Lisieux, 1920; and Ch. Gabriel Sarraute, Un soldat français: sainte Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus, Imprimerie Morière, 1970.

Miracle Story - Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel

This is the true story of a Marine wounded in Korea in 1950. Writing to his mother, he told her of a fascinating encounter he experienced in the war. Father Walter Muldy, a navy chaplain who spoke to the young Marine and his mother as well as to the outfit commander, always affirmed the veracity of this narrative.

We heard it from someone who read the original letter and retell the story here in all its details and in the first person to better convey some of the impact it must have had when first told by the son to his mother.

Click here to print out novenas and prayers to St. Michael.

Dear Mom,

I am writing to you from a hospital bed. Don’t worry, Mom, I am okay. I was wounded, but the doctor says that I will be up in no time.

But that’s not what I have to tell you, Mom. Something happened to me that I don’t dare tell anyone else for fear of their disbelief. But I have to tell you, the one person I can confide in, though even you may find it hard to believe.

You remember the prayer to Saint Michael that you taught me to pray when I was little: “Michael, Michael of the morning,…” Before I left home for Korea, you urged me to remember this prayer before any confrontation with the enemy. But you really didn’t have to remind me, Mom. I have always prayed it, and when I got to Korea, I sometimes said it a couple of times a day while marching or resting.

Well, one day, we were told to move forward to scout for Commies. It was a really cold day. As I was walking along, I perceived another fellow walking beside me, and I looked to see who it was.

He was a big fellow, a Marine about 6’4” and built proportionally. Funny, but I didn’t know him, and I thought I knew everyone in my unit. I was glad to have the company and broke the silence between us:

“Chilly today, isn’t it?” Then I chuckled because suddenly it seemed absurd to talk about the weather when we were advancing to meet the enemy.
He chuckled too, softly.

“I thought I knew everyone in my outfit,” I continued, “ but I have never seen you before.”

“No,” he agreed, “I have just joined. The name is Michael.”

“Really?! That’s mine, too.”

“I know,” the Marine said, “Michael, Michael of the morning….”

Mom, I was really surprised that he knew about my prayer, but I had taught it to many of the other guys, so I supposed that the newcomer must have picked it up from someone else. As a matter of fact, it had gotten around to the extent that some of the fellows were calling me “Saint Michael.”

Then, out of the blue, Michael said, “There’s going to be trouble ahead.”

I wondered how he could know that. I was breathing hard from the march, and my breath hit the cold air like dense clouds of fog. Michael seemed to be in top shape because I couldn’t see his breath at all. Just then, it started to snow heavily, and soon it was so dense I could no longer hear or see the rest of my outfit. I got a little scared and yelled, “Michael!” Then I felt his strong hand on my shoulder and heard his voice in my ear, “It’s going to clear up soon.”

It did clear up, suddenly. And then, just a short distance ahead of us, like so many dreadful realities, were seven Commies, looking rather comical in their funny hats. But there was nothing funny about them now; their guns were steady and pointed straight in our direction.

“Down, Michael!!” I yelled as I dove for cover. Even as I was hitting the ground, I looked up and saw Michael still standing, as if paralyzed by fear, or so I thought at the time. Bullets were spurting all over the place, and Mom, there was no way those Commies could have missed at that short distance. I jumped up to pull him down, and then I was hit. The pain was like a hot fire in my chest, and as I fell, my head swooned and I remember thinking, “I must be dying…” Someone was laying me down, strong arms were holding me and laying me gently on the snow. Through the daze, I opened my eyes, and the sun seemed to blaze in my eyes. Michael was standing still, and there was a terrible splendor in his face. Suddenly, he seemed to grow, like the sun, the splendor increasing intensely around him like the wings of an angel. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I saw that Michael held a sword in his hand, and it flashed like a million lights.

Later on, when I woke up, the rest of the guys came to see me with the sergeant.

“How did you do it, son?” he asked me.

“Where’s Michael?” I asked in reply.

“Michael who?” The sergeant seemed puzzled.

“Michael, the big Marine walking with me, right up to the last moment. I saw him there as I fell.”

“Son,” the sergeant said gravely, “you’re the only Michael in my unit. I hand-picked all you fellows, and there’s only one Michael. You. And son, you weren’t walking with anyone. I was watching you because you were too far off from us, and I was worried.

Now tell me, son,” he repeated, “how did you do it?”

It was the second time he had asked me that, and I found it irritating.

“How did I do what?”

“How did you kill those seven Commies? There wasn’t a single bullet fired from your rifle.”

“What?”

“Come on, son. They were strewn all around you, each one killed by a swordstroke.”

And that, Mom, is the end of my story. It may have been the pain, or the blazing sun, or the chilling cold. I don’t know, Mom, but there is one thing I am sure about. It happened.

Love your son,

Michael

Michael, Michael of the morning,
Fresh chord of Heaven adorning,
Keep me safe today,
And in time of temptation
Drive the devil away.
Amen.

Click here to print Prayers and Novenas to St. Michael

The PDF document is meant to print an an 8½x11 sheet of paper.

Star of the Sea

Bright star of the shaded heaven
Soft gleam of the nocturnal dome,
Vivid splendor, wondrous omen,
Raging billows swell, crash and foam,
Shine, O Mother! Lead me home...

Clear luster of a shrouded sky,
Veiled, yet clear to he who seeks,
To perceive your shimmer set on high,
Asks a search beyond sullen streaks,
Shine, O Mary! To lofty peaks...

To he whose gaze is set above,
Your glitter reveals prodigies,
Of grace, purity, meekness, love,
Inspiring arden eulogies,
Shine, O Queen! Through raging seas...

Radiant Mother, shine bright as noon,
Death's dreary cloud smothers the view,
Your soft aura anoints the wound,
Rays drizzling down as gentle dew,
Shine, O Blessed Lady! To life anew...

Your halo, beacon and sole guide,
Leads from this weary world adrift,
Hastening at last to your side,
With wounded heart by pain a'rift:
Your grateful child's only gift.
Shine, O dear Mother, shine!

by a nun at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Elysburg, Penn.

This saint wrote in the sand I BELIEVE IN GOD after a heretic had cleft his head in two by a cruel blow of his sword

The Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles which is said on the crucifix of the Rosary is a holy summary of all Christian truths. It is a prayer that has great merit because faith is the root, foundation and beginning of all Christian virtues, of all eternal virtues and also of all prayers that are pleasing to Almighty God.

"He that cometh to God, must believe...." [1] Whosoever wishes to come to God must first of all believe and the greater his faith the more merit his prayer will have, the more powerful it will be, and the more it will glorify God.

I shall not take time here to explain the Creed word for word but I cannot resist saying that the first few words "I believe in God" are marvelously effective as a means of sanctifying our souls and of putting devils to rout, because these three words contain the acts of the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.

It was by saying I BELIEVE IN GOD that the saints overcame temptations, especially those against faith, hope or charity---whether they came during their lifetime or at their death.

They were also the last words of St. Peter, Martyr; [2] a heretic had cleft his head in two by a cruel blow of his sword and St. Peter was almost at his last gasp, but he somehow managed to trace these words in the sand with his finger before he died.

The Holy Rosary contains many mysteries of Jesus and Mary and since faith is the only key which opens up these mysteries for us we must begin the Rosary by saying the Creed very devoutly, and the stronger our faith, the more merit our Rosary will have.

This faith must be lively and informed by charity; in other words, to recite properly the Rosary, it is necessary to be in God's grace, or at least in quest of it. This faith must be strong and constant, that is, one must not be looking for sensible devotion and spiritual consolation in the recitation of the Rosary; nor should one give it up because his mind is flooded with countless involuntary distractions or one experiences a strange distaste in the soul and an almost continual and oppressive fatigue in the body. Neither feeling, nor consolation, nor sighs, nor transports, nor the continual attention of the imagination are needed; faith and good intentions are quite enough. "Faith alone suffices." [3]

(Taken from the Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis de Montfort)

[1] Heb. 11:6
[2] Saint Peter of Verona, O.P. 1206-1253, was a Dominican Priest who fought heresy courageously and zealously. He had the honor of receiving the habit from the hands of Saint Dominic himself. He was appointed Inquisitor for Lombardy, and it was in discharging his duties that he gave his life for the Faith.
[3] From the Pange Lingua.

Official statement from Fr. Frank Pavone in response to bishop’s suspension order

For the past several years, my Ordinary, the Most Reverend Patrick Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo, has given me permission to do the full-time pro-life work that I have done since 1993. In 2005, I made a public promise in a Church ceremony in Amarillo, presided over by a Vatican Cardinal, that this full-time pro-life work would be a lifetime commitment. That's a commitment I promise to fulfill without wavering.

This past week, however, I received a letter from the Bishop insisting that I report to the Diocese this Tuesday, September 13 and, for the time being, remain only there.

I am very perplexed by this demand. Despite that, because I am a priest of the diocese of Amarillo, I will be obedient and report there on the appointed date, putting the other commitments that are on my calendar on hold until I get more clarity as to what the bishop wants and for how long. Meanwhile, I continue to retain all my priestly faculties and continue to be a priest in "good standing" in the Church. The bishop does not dispute this fact. Rather, he has said that he thinks I am giving too much priority to my pro-life work, and that this makes me disobedient to him. He also has claimed that I haven't given him enough financial information.

Now, although Bishop Zurek is my Ordinary, he is not the bishop of Priests for Life. Each of our staff priests has his own Ordinary, and the organization has an entire Board of Bishops. We keep them all informed of our activities, and of our financial audits.

I want to say very clearly that Priests for Life is above reproach in its financial management and the stewardship of the monies it receives from dedicated pro-lifers, raised primarily through direct mail at the grassroots level. To this end, Priests for Life has consistently provided every financial document requested by Bishop Zurek, including annual financial audits, quarterly reports, management documents—even entire check registers! Priests for Life has been completely transparent with Bishop Zurek and any other bishops who have requested information regarding our management and finances. Indeed, we have 21 bishops and cardinals who sit on our Advisory Board, and they are kept fully informed about our finances.

Therefore, in the interest of preserving my good reputation as well as protecting the valuable work done by the Priests for Life organization, I have begun a process of appeal to the Vatican. This process aims to correct any mistaken decisions of the bishop in my regard and to protect my commitment to full-time pro-life activity for my whole life. We are very confident that the Vatican will resolve this matter in a just and equitable fashion. Because of this confidence, we are not currently making any changes in any positions at Priests for Life, or in any of our projects and plans.

I also want to point out that, according to the canon law of the Catholic Church, because I have begun this process of appeal to Rome, the Bishop's order that I return to Amarillo has been effectively suspended. Nevertheless, because of my great respect for this Bishop and my commitment to be fully obedient at all times, I am reporting to Amarillo this Tuesday, in hopes that I can sort this problem out with the Bishop in a mutually agreeable and amicable way.

I would like to note that, unlike other organizations, which have sometimes been critical of the Church hierarchy or other institutions within the Church, Priests for Life has always remained 100% supportive of the Bishops, never criticizing any Church official, and always acting as a megaphone for the Bishops' pro-life statements. Moreover, we serve dioceses and their priests and laity without asking for any speakers' fees, and distribute millions of pieces of pro-life literature to dioceses completely free of charge. We do not seek parish collections, and we work to reinforce in each diocese the local pastoral plan which the bishop wants to implement for pro-life activities.

We are committed to going forward with that same spirit, regardless of the recent action taken by Bishop Zurek.

In the interest of full transparency, I would like to make it known that I do not receive any salary or financial remuneration from either the Diocese of Amarillo or from Priests for Life. Priests for Life, as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful, does provide for my residence and the expenses associated with the ministry, but these expenses are very small. Though, as a diocesan priest, I have never taken a vow of poverty, I have basically chosen to live in that fashion in solidarity with the pre-born children we are trying to protect—who are the poorest of the poor.

I want to be clear that I do not harbor any ill will towards the Bishop of Amarillo, nor do I foster suspicions about his motives. I am merely confused by his actions. It is impossible for me to believe that there is no place in the Church for priests to exercise full-time ministry in the service of the unborn. We do it for the sick, the poor, the hungry, and the imprisoned. But where in the Church is the place where a priest can exercise the same kind of full-time ministry for the children in the womb? That is the question that is at the heart of my own calling.

I am confident that we will be able to resolve this difficulty soon, without any harm to either my own reputation and without any slowdown of the valuable pro-life work we do at Priests for Life.

Interview: Priests for Life President Fr. Pavone reacts to bishop’s recall to diocese

by John-Henry Westen

September 13, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews spoke with Priests for Life President Fr. Frank Pavone this morning regarding a letter by his bishop, Patrick J. Zurek, demanding that Fr. Pavone restrict his ministry, at least for the time being, to the Diocese of Amarillo, commencing today September 13, 2011.
In a September 9 letter to bishops across the U.S., Bishop Zurek said, “My decision is the result of deep concerns regarding his stewardship of the finances of the Priests for Life (PFL) organization.”
“The PFL has become a business that is quite lucrative which provides Father Pavone with financial independence from all legitimate ecclesiastical oversight,” the letter said.
Fr. Pavone told LifeSiteNews that he was “perplexed” by the demand and added that he has begun a process of appeal to the Vatican. He stressed that “Priests for Life is above reproach in its financial management and the stewardship of the monies it receives from dedicated pro-lifers, raised primarily through direct mail at the grassroots level. “

Financial reports, he said, are submitted to all 21 bishops and cardinals who sit on the organization’s Advisory Board.
Fr. Pavone also said that he does “not receive any salary or financial remuneration from either the Diocese of Amarillo or from Priests for Life.”

Priests for Life, “does provide for my residence and the expenses associated with the ministry,” he said, “but these expenses are very small.” As a diocesan priest, Fr. Pavone has not taken a vow of poverty, however, he said, “I have basically chosen to live in that fashion in solidarity with the pre-born children we are trying to protect—who are the poorest of the poor.”
Fr. Pavone said that he will be obedient to his bishop’s request to return to his diocese. As he puts it, “because I am a priest of the diocese of Amarillo, I will be obedient and report there on the appointed date, putting the other commitments that are on my calendar on hold until I get more clarity as to what the bishop wants and for how long.”
“According to the canon law of the Catholic Church, because I have begun this process of appeal to Rome, the Bishop’s order that I return to Amarillo has been effectively suspended,” he said. He added, however: “Nevertheless, because of my great respect for this Bishop and my commitment to be fully obedient at all times, I am reporting to Amarillo this Tuesday, in hopes that I can sort this problem out with the Bishop in a mutually agreeable and amicable way.”
Fr. Pavone says he does not expect this situation to last for very long.
As a leading spokesman for the pro-life movement throughout the world, the removal of Fr. Pavone from his position of pro-life leadership would be devastating. Fr. Pavone remains confident, however, that this will not take place. “In 2005, I made a public promise in a Church ceremony in Amarillo, presided over by a Vatican Cardinal, that this full-time pro-life work would be a lifetime commitment. That’s a commitment I promise to fulfill without wavering.”

Should a secular government help promote blasphemous, pornographic and anti-God events?

Well, if you answered NO to the above question, then I ask you to send a protest message against GOLGOTHA PICNIC ...

(READ WITH CAUTION: this is disgusting.)

...a government funded porn blasphemous show where:

• Actors going through multiple scenes of full and frontal nudity, with a giant screen showing the genitals of the actors and actresses in detail.

• Christ being compared to a terrorist and insulted with such profanity that I cannot reproduce it here.

• There are burlesque imitations of the crucifixion, such as a half-naked woman with a false stigmata -- and a motorcycle helmet with a crown of thorns drawn on it.

PROTEST THIS TERRIBLE BLASPHEMY

Unspeakable!

Yet Golgotha Picnic is on tour until February 2012 in several cities across France, starting in Paris.

And it gets tax payer money from the French Ministry of Culture!

PROTEST THIS TERRIBLE BLASPHEMY

See, it is crucial that Catholics from all over the world protest this unspeakable blasphemy.

Otherwise, the blasphemies that take place in France could soon spread.

Moreover, as Catholics, we have the serious obligation to protest and pray in reparation for this atrocious insult to the sacred honor of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, besides sending your protest message to the French Ministry of Culture against GOLGOTHA PICNIC, I ask you to please offer this special prayer of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Prayers/act-of-reparation-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html

Unprecedented earthquake hits the East Coast; Hurricane Irene coming up next

Tuesday's unprecedented 5.9 earthquake that shook up the East Coast of the United States is certainly making people stand up and take notice.

Add to this the fact that Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit the East Coast as well.

What is going on with the weather? Do these two natural events have no meaning for us? Are they just random disasters? Or is God trying to tell us something? Can these two events be wake up calls?

Another thing to take into consideration is that strange and unprecedented storms and natural disasters are happening in other areas of the world, and even in other regions of the United States.

For example, a recent storm in the Chicago area saw 18,000 lightning bolts in one session.

18,000!!!

The important thing right now is that we not close our minds, our hearts and our ears to hear what God may be telling us by these unusual happenings.

Instead, we must ask ourselves in all simplicity and honesty if there may be any reason why God is upset with each one of us as a person, and with us as a people, as a nation.

As we reflect upon all the intense public pushes to legalize same-sex "marriage", plus the recent efforts to keep Planned Parenthood funded with tax payer money, plus the blasphemies against the holy purity of Our Lady, plus the push to get rid of the Cross at Ground Zero in New York, we may well find reasons to believe why God is upset with us.

What then should we do?

We should do exactly what Our Lady told us to do in Fatima, when she appeared to the three children in 1917. She told us to do penance;she told us to do reparation;she told us to amend our lives; she told us to pray, especially the Holy Rosary.

Unfortunately, most of Our Lady's requests went unheeded. And this is a great tragedy.

But here at America Needs Fatima, we are decided to increase our efforts to make known the message of Our Lady of Fatima, in the hope that even now, souls will be touched by Our Lady's urgent message of conversion.

For this purpose, there will be a Public Square Rosary Crusade in 7000 locations on Saturday, October 15.

If you feel called by Our Lady to join this monumental effort to convert America, then please visit our website at www.ANF.org.

May Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States, take advantage of the recent natural disasters for the salvation of many souls and for the general return of America to God.

by Robert Ritchie

Find out if your devotion to Our Lady is disinterested

True devotion to Mary is disinterested.

It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her.

He loves her not so much because she is good to him or because he expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable.

That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible fervor. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays!

Saint Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary

A Look at the Real Brazil – Except Through Communist Eyes

The establishment media seek to convey a discouraging impression of Brazil as a country where the majority of the population prefers immorality and egalitarian decadence.

However, this is a very partial view of reality that does not consider the deepest aspects of the Brazilian soul.
Geraldo Galindo, leader of the Communist Party of Brazil in the state of Bahia, looks with communist eyes at these deeper aspects of Brazil and posted his conclusions on the web site Vermelho.org, maintained by the Associação Vermelho [Red Association] by agreement with the Communist Party of Brazil.
He says:

“A majority of the people [in Brazil] are against abortion, same-sex ‘marriage,’ disarmament, secularizing laws, etc.

“This results, among many other factors, from a religious influence that is still very strong in our society, which has blocked the approval of proposals that would have made the country advance toward a more civilized state – and also from the strength of dozens of conservative parties present in the political fray.

“Here in Bruzundanga, when we talk about respect for human rights, the rightists say we are siding with bandits; when we defend quotas for blacks and the poor, they say we are rewarding ignorance; when we say that a woman’s body belongs to her and she’s the one that must decide about it, the reactionaries say her body belongs to God and the rules of that god must prevail; and they accuse us of proposing the murder of defenseless children.

“When we want to punish parents who spank their children, they argue it is government interference in family matters; when we propose union between homosexuals and combat against homophobia, they say we are campaigning to make people choose homosexuality; when we defend gun control, they affirm we want to disarm the people while leaving bandits well-armed.

“When we combat racism, they say we are preaching racial hatred; if we stand against the teaching of religion in schools, they say we are materialistic atheists who want to ban the Bible.

“When we defend social programs for the poor, they say we want a welfare state and are encouraging laziness. When we defend stem-cell research to cure illness, they say we are threatening divine laws. When we cry out against machoism, they claim it is Brazilian tradition. When we want to investigate the crimes of the dictatorship they accuse us of revanchism.…

“The worst of all is that at times persons seen as ‘leftist’ and who theoretically should support libertarian causes assimilate that kind of argumentation, as can be seen in the participation of Labor Party deputies in public demonstrations against homosexuals and abortion rights for women.…”

Our Lady of Aparecida, Queen and Patroness of Brazil.

The testimony of this communist leader shows that the Brazilian people still possess, in the innermost recesses of their soul, reserves of common sense and morality that make them react against all factors of social and religious decay.

However, they lack authentic elites that can represent them and lead Brazil toward a truly moral order and prosperity. It is also painful to say, but they often lack courageous and uncompromising prelates truly disposed to lead the fold of Jesus Christ on the paths of Christian civilization rather than the crooked roads leading to the abyss such as those proposed by the Communist Party of Brazil and their ilk.

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Written by Luis Dufaur

When we suffer, we naturally turn somewhere for consolation -- Christ would have us turn to Him...

There are three great truths that all Christians—who want to be called Christians—must believe:

1) that God, who created all things from nothing, exists.

2) that we possess an immortal soul and are destined for eternal life.

3) that Jesus is the predicted Messias or Christ and suffered enormously for our salvation.

There is, in reality, a fourth: that the first three are not part of a take-it-or-leave-it system. Belief is not optional! And as we shall see in this matter, Our Lord’s patience is not unlimited.

In the first three parts of this essay, we have asked the reader to consider the spiritual aspects of numerous recent tragedies, a normal request to anyone who prays to God for assistance. We should also apply a providential element to the study of ancient history. Otherwise we could not properly account for the rise and fall of so many brutal empires in the pre-Roman era, nor for the enormous influence of an obscure Jewish religious leader from the hinterlands of the latter empire who changed the direction of the world.

With the Incarnation, Divine Providence and Divine Revelation combine, come to life, and provide a Christian view of history which will record the conflict and tension between the Law of God and the spirit of evil in the world. But although the Incarnation is the central event, the linear view of history began with the prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaias and Daniel.

Isaias
At the time of Isaias(c.700B.C.), the mighty kingdom of David and Solomon had split into two smaller, vulnerable kingdoms: Israel in the North with ten tribes and Juda with two tribes, but also the fortress of Jerusalem, in the South. Both kingdoms incurred severe denunciations from all the prophets of the period for their attachment to immorality and idolatry.

In the Northern Kingdom, Amos the earliest prophet, emphasized God’s authority over the universe, Israel’s obligation to Him and that God would protect those faithful to Him, but to no avail. With the terrible Assyrian army rampaging westward, its chaotic decline continued and its political stability deteriorated despite prophecies that Assyria had been chosen by God as His instrument of chastisement. Finally, in 721 B.C., the infamous warrior Sargon II crushed Israel’s capital city, Samaria, and after impaling most of the inhabitants, carried off the remainder.

The Ten Tribes of Israel disappeared forever from the pages of history.

Isaias’ great contribution to prophetic literature lies in two areas. The first records his heroic efforts to maintain the fighting spirit of Jerusalem in the face of Assyrian encroachment. The second is concerned with his amazing predictions of Christ’s mission and divine nature.

Assyria, the third of Mesopotamian empires, easily ranks as the most brutal and rapacious. Sumer, famous for inventing written, phonetic language around 33,000 B.C. and Babylon, noted for its lawgiver and king, Hammurabi, preceded them. The last, the Neo-Babylonians or Chaldians, we will study in connection with Daniel.
The moral and political deterioration in Juda paralleled that in the Northern Kingdom. One King, allowed his son to be butchered to appease the Canaanite god Moloch. After the fall of Samaria in 721, the situation became precarious; so much so that very existence of the chosen people stood on the brink of annihilation. At this moment God sent Isaias.

This magnificent prophet of God warned that if the kingdom were to escape destruction it must follow one guiding principle: confidence in God and not warlike preparation nor concessions to Assyria. But the people were obstinately attached to their evil ways. Isaias warned that the time of God’s judgment was coming and would leave the kingdom in ruins. The scourge was even then descending, and the scourge was Assyria (the rod and staff of my anger—Isa. 10:5).

Sennacherib, Sargon’s successor, reduced all the cities in Juda and then besieged Jerusalem. The people wanted to surrender, but Isaias urged them to resist. “Thus sayeth the Lord concerning the Assyrians: He shall not come into the city, nor shoot an arrow into it,” and it came to pass that night that an angel of the Lord came, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians tens of thousands.

The next morning Sennacherib withdrew; Jerusalem was saved.

However, Isaias’ divinely inspired pronouncements went far beyond his warnings of moral failure and imminent chastisements, for in memorable passages he proclaimed that God himself would come in His own person to redeem mankind.

With remarkable accuracy, he revealed, “behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Isa. 7:14). “For a child is born to us…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God the Mighty…He shall sit on the throne of David and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever” (Isa. 9:66,7). Concerning Our Lord’s passion he prophesied, “Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows…he hath borne our infirmities… He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins, …and by His bruises we are healed…The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all…He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter” ((Isa. 53:3-7).

Our Lord Visits Nazareth
Several times the Evangelists quoted the prophecies of Isaias in their Gospels, but the most remarkable reference came from Christ himself. Our Lord in the early days of His Galilean ministry, visited the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (Lk. 4:16-30).

As a visiting dignitary, He was asked to read a passage from the Old Testament and then to provide a commentary. Quite appropriately, the selection chosen came from one of the more descriptive revelations of Isaias (61:1-2).

Of the six clauses in the prediction, three require some attention, the first two and the fourth. With infinite wisdom and love and omnipotent power, Christ certainly explained that the coming Messias must become the center of life from whom all draw their vital energy. He came not to enhance the possession of worldly goods but to provide for the spiritual life by giving sanctifying grace to the soul. The fourth clause mirrors verse three of Psalm 146, “He heals the broken heart and binds up their wounds.” The primal cause of sorrow results from the fall of Adam: sin and death. Without the promise and coming of Christ, humanity’s condition would have been hopeless. Separate our destiny from Christ and life becomes a dreary waste.

Recurring tragedies throughout the world today give examples from Syria where the government fires on its own citizens at night from tanks and snipers to the terrible famine in the horn of Africa. When man suffers, he naturally turns somewhere for consolation. Christ would have us turn to Him.

At the end of the discourse, He made the astounding statement that he, in effect, the man standing in front of them, was the Christ foretold by Isaias. Instead of falling on their knees, they gave in to their superficial, carnal instincts. The congregation rose up in anger, grabbed Our Lord, rushed him out of town and attempted to throw Him off a cliff. During the melee, He mysteriously disappeared.

During the discourse, Our Lord further angered the Nazarenes by observing that in the time of the prophet Elias, a great famine spread through Israel. However he helped none of his countrymen but assisted a widow and her son in the Phoenician city of Sidon. Likewise his disciple Eliseeus ignored the lepers of Israel but cured Naaman the Syrian. By this testimony of approval, Our Lord indicated that not only were the prophesies of Isaias inspired by the Holy Ghost but also that the other prophets were also sent by God.

(By Jeremias Weels; If all goes well, in the second half of this installment we will discuss the contributions of the prophet Daniel, Saint Augustine and Saint John the Evangelist)

Former consultant to US bishops keynotes conference pushing for acceptance of pedophilia

"Fred Berlin was for years a consultant to the US bishops in their attempts to develop policies for handling complaints of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Archbishop Rembert Weakland has testified that in 1985, Berlin strongly argued against removing abusive priests from public ministry."

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=11431

Baldwin I of Jerusalem receives help from King Sigurd and his 10,000 Vikings

After the fall of Jerusalem, a large number of the crusaders returned to Europe, leaving the remainder in a precarious position. On the land they were completely surrounded by hostile Moslems, who viewed the militant Christians as sworn enemies of Islam. To the north and east, the territory of the Seljuk Turks had broken down into city-states but were loosely unified under the sultan in Baghdad. To the south and west, the Fatimid Egyptians had formed an empire with Cairo as its capital. Any unification of the Saracens and Turks under one strong, capable leader could prove to be disastrous, for they greatly outnumbered the Christian soldiers.

Baldwin of Boulogne, second King of Jerusalem

Godfrey of Bouillon was elected King of Jerusalem but refused the title and crown in a city where Christ had worn thorns. His brother Baldwin returned to the County of Edessa which he had carved out earlier. Bohemond, of course, had remained in Antioch, but soon he went to Europe, unsuccessfully seeking after other ambitions. Just to the south of the Norman principality, the Provençals of the contentious Raymond of Toulouse prepared to attack the fortified city of Tripoli and form the county of that name. In theory, the last three vassal states recognized the King of Jerusalem as their suzerain, but the arrogant, grasping nature of most of the princes interfered with any complete cooperation. Only Godfrey made any attempt to practice virtue in his relations with others, but unfortunately he was dead within the year.

The nobles of Jerusalem chose Baldwin to replace his brother. His elevation to the throne brought an amazing transformation of a selfish landowner into a fighting crusader. Anything less than maximum courageous leadership would have brought down the crusader states. When the Rhinelander prince assumed control with only 3,000 fighting men, his power did not extend more than 12 miles outside Jerusalem.

In order to secure his kingdom, Baldwin fought several pitched battles against enormous odds with the surrounding Mohammedans, losing some and winning most. Completely landlocked at the beginning with the exception of the harbor at Jaffa, the dedicated King achieved his greatest success in the capture of the fortified cities along the coast. Arsuf and Caesarea fell in 1101 with the help of a Genoese fleet. Another Genoese fleet aided in the capture of Acre in 1104. The Italian merchantmen received ample commercial concessions for their effort.

The most colorful assistance came from Norway and their King Sigurd, who had taken the Cross. Ten thousand Viking-crusaders in sixty ships followed their King around Spain, fighting many battles with the Moors, and into the eastern sea where they spotted a Moslem fleet blockading Acre. When the Saracens saw the lines of dragon ships moving towards them with their long oars sparkling in the sun, they quickly raised the siege and fled. The Northmen then feasted with their grateful host and went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Painting by Henry A. (Harry) Payne

After the Norwegians prayed at the Holy Sepulchre and said the Stations of the Cross, they asked Baldwin to name one city he most desired to conquer. He named Sidon, the impregnable ancient citadel. From the sea the Northmen, using ropes and scaffolding, scaled the massive walls and with their fearsome axes cut through the Moslems. Sidon surrendered and the surviving defenders left with their lives and whatever they could carry. Laded with spoils and gratitude, the hearty Norwegians returned home. Along the coast only Ascalon and Tyre remained in Moslem hands when Baldwin died in 1118.

Jeremias Wells, History of Western Civilization (n.p., n.d), pp. 241-242.

Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 61

Nobility of Birth Seems a Fortuitous Fact, but It Results from a Benevolent Design of Heaven

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From the allocution of Leo XIII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility

on January 21, 1897:

Our heart rejoices to see you here again, united by a concord of ideas and affections that honor you. Our charity knows no partiality, nor ought to know any, yet it is not to be blamed if it takes particular pleasure in you and in the very social rank that was assigned to you in what may seem a fortuitous manner, but was in truth the benign will of heaven. How can one deny special esteem to the prominence of a noble line if the Divine Redeemer manifested the same regard? Of course, during His earthly pilgrimage, He adopted a life of poverty and never wished for the company of riches, yet He chose His own lineage from royal stock.

Coronation of the Virgin by Jacobello del Fiore

We remind you of these things, beloved Children, not to flatter any foolish pride, but rather to give you comfort in works worthy of your rank. Every individual and every class of individuals has its function and its value; from the ordered accord of all is born the harmony of mankind. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that in the public and private orders the aristocracy of blood is a special force, as are property and talent. And if it were somehow in contradiction to the will of nature, it would never have been what it has been in all ages, one of the moderating laws of human history. Wherefore, judging from the past, it is not illogical to infer that, however the times may evolve, an illustrious name will always have some validity to one who knows how to bear it worthily.

Leonis XIII Pontificis Maximii Acta (Rome: Ex Tipografia Vaticana, 1898), Vol. 17, pp. 357-358 in Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites in the Allocutions of Pius XII: A Theme Illuminating American Social History (York, Penn.: The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, 1993), Documents IV, p. 470.

http://nobility.org/2011/03/31/nobility-of-birth-seems-a-fortuitous-fact-but-it-results-from-a-benevolent-design-of-heaven/

Do you know a leader?

Think of personal acquaintances who have demonstrated leadership qualities, sometimes in difficult circumstances.

In this world so bereft of leadership, what more generous almsgiving could there be than to reach out to those we know have leadership qualities and assist them in this time of great need?

Please give them Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites in the Allocutions of Pius XII.

And make sure they receive timely articles of encouragement. Help them sign up for this free newsletter.

The direst poverty is frequently the lack of true and effective leadership.

http://nobility.org/2011/04/04/do-you-know-a-leader/

The Beauty of Life in Social Relationships

April 4, 2011

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Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Old magazines are often very charming. This is true even when what comes down to us are only loose undated pages that give us glimpses of the remote past.

A Paris journal of the last century, L ‘Illustration, carried an article, “Customs of the Café Valois,” written by A. de Belloy, whose memory has been whisked away by time.

What is the date of these pages? The article gives us only the most vague elements as to the answer. It is safe to place them somewhere in the 1860′s. In any case they have the merit of evoking certain values of the social conduct of old. Values that increasingly disappeared as large cities came into being in the last century, and of which, not even vestiges have remained among the general public of today’s Babels of concrete, steel and asphalt. They were precious values that endowed social relationships with human warmth and that stemmed from the fact that the civilization of yesteryear was centered more around the goods of the soul than those of the body, while later, materialism increasingly shaped customs and institutions.

Here we will quote extensively from the aforementioned article to stimulate reaction against this decay. One that makes so many noble characters suffer and painfully stifles so many healthy initiatives. After evoking the picturesque ambience of the Parisian cafés of the second quarter of the nineteenth century, some of which were centers of a refined social life while others displayed a rich ideological effervescence, the writer laments that they were replaced by new cafes of banal, unstylish luxury and an atmosphere of an establishment whose customers thought only of eating and drinking and whose proprietors only thought of making money.

As a counterpoise to this materialized environment, this article evokes the picturesque customs of the old cafés and the deeply affable and trusting relationships that frequently developed among them.

What took place between the Chevalier de Lautrec and the owner of the Café Valois during the French Revolution faithfully illustrates the sweetness of life that the café ambience once had.

It should be noted that one of the effects of the French Revolution, that devoured aristocratic blood and Catholicity, was to impoverish many of those noble families that survived the Terror. However, in spite of the ravages of one of the most violent revolutions in history, the values of Christian generosity and nobility of soul did not vanish. The following words of Monsieur de Belloy describe one such case.

Farewell, O good old days! Farewell, O affable visage of the proprietor and smiling and respectful reception of the waiters! Farewell, O solemn entries of the Café Valois’ dignified customs, which people were curious to see. Such was the case with the Knight Commander Odoard de La Fere’s arrival.

At exactly noon, the canon of the Palais-Royal heralded his arrival. He would appear on the threshold and pause for a moment to sweep the salon with an affable and self-assured gaze as someone eager to practice a longtime custom. His right hand pressing firmly on the white and blue porcelain handle of his cane, he threw his old faded brown cape over his shoulder with a swing of his left hand. No one ever snickered at this, since not even the most elegant mantle with golden fleur-de-lys embroidery was ever thrown back with a more distinguished movement.
In 1789 the former steward of the Prince of Conti ran the Café Valois; it was rather devoid of political color and local flavor at that time.

Among the frequenters of the place, standing out by his noble manners, stately demeanor and wooden leg, was the Chevalier de Lautrec. He was from the second line of that family, an old brigadier of the king’s army, a Knight of Malta, of Saint Louis, of Saint Maurice and of Saint Lazare.
The Chevalier de Lautrec was a middle-aged man who lived a modest, though very dignified life on his small pension. Though he rarely appeared in society, he could be seen most often at the Palais Royal and the Café Valois. He was a very cultured mind and an assiduous reader of all the newspapers.

Deprived of his pension overnight, it was never known what the Chevalier de Lautrec lived on at a time when it was so difficult to live, and so easy to die. But here we have something that sheds at least a dim light on this mystery.

One morning after finishing a very modest breakfast in the Café Valois, as was his custom, the Chevalier de Lautrec rose from his table, chatted with all naturalness with the proprietress, who stood behind a counter, bid good-day to the master of the café with a slight gesture of the eyes, and walked out majestically saying nothing about the bill.

This scene was repeated the next day, and the next, and on every day for weeks, months and years without the owner of the establishment ever receiving an explanation from the Chevalier or even thinking to ask him for one.

A few days after the first of these singular exits, as the Chevalier directed his gaze to the good proprietor’s son, he said to the father in an unpresuming tone of voice.

“Well, here is a cavalier that will learn very little now that the schools are closed. You should send him to my house everyday between one and four o’clock in the afternoon. I shall teach him elementary mathematics and English, which I speak passably.”

“No doubt this would be useful to him if he is to replace you some day; and besides, I really don’t have anything to occupy my time, so these lessons would help to entertain me.”

“Milord, you are really very good, a thousand times good,” answered the innkeeper. “What you propose would be an invaluable favor to us, especially in these times. But, we would not dare encumber you to the point of…”

“But it would rather be doing me a service, I tell you!” the Chevalier interjected.

Despite the fact that his eyes were so full of authority, he said this with no firmness at all, but the worthy proprietor was indeed perceptive to appreciate this contrast, and he came close to thrusting his son into the Chevalier’s arms.

“Milord,” said the innkeeper, “you are much too generous to us. My son is yours, as well as my whole house, today, tomorrow and always.”
For many years thereafter the boy studied English and mathematics at the house of the impoverished noble.

On the 7th of December, 1817, at eleven o’clock in the morning, that is, exactly 26 years to the day and to the hour after this conversation, the now elderly Chevalier de Lautrec entered into the Café Valois as was his custom. The former owner had died 5 years earlier and was succeeded by his son.

After he had dined with a good appetite the Chevalier, for the first time in 26 years, candidly asked for the check while he paged with all naturality through the Drapeau Blanc (the Monarchist Daily).

Without batting an eyelash, the proprietor exchanged a few words with his young wife. Ten minutes later the Chevalier received a bill in the amount of 16,980 francs for 8,490 dinners at two francs each.

The old nobleman glanced at the total, opened his wallet, took out enough bills for the sum and handed them to the waiter along with the check, telling him to keep the change, which was exactly 520 francs. He rose up from the table, doubtless feeling much lighter, though his expression betrayed nothing of it. He then went over to the counter according to his old habit and conversed with the young mistress of the establishment for a few moments before slowly directing his steps towards the door. Then, with a napkin draped over his arm, the proprietor respectfully stepped aside to allow him to pass by, the old Chevalier gravely took his hand and warmly pressed it between his own.

The silent scene we have just described did not go unnoticed by the Marquis de Rivarol, who was coming in just then after having set his watch to the famous clock of the Palais Royal.

At the time of the Restoration, the Chevalier de Lautrec inherited a small share of the estate of one of his brothers who had died in Coblentz shortly before. Even though it was an appreciable sum, most of it was consumed settling hefty bills that were long overdue. But thanks to the recovery of his pension, he was able to end his days with financial ease and always faithful to the Café Valois for whose advancement he contributed to as we shall explain.

We have seen that the proprietor of that hospitable establishment was a creditor like few are found in any epoch. Few cases as beautiful as the one we have related dignified the life of that good man, with no great harm to his finances. This businessman of ancient stock did not treat everyone indiscriminately. He possessed a clear perception and sensibility of heart.

With the Chevalier de Lautrec’s payment, the proprietor recovered most of what was owed him, and as to the interest on that debt, which he had never contemplated charging, he was generously compensated by the lessons from such a proficient teacher of English, mathematics and, above all, good sentiments.

Furthermore, owing to this noble relationship, the Café Valois won distinguished and selected patrons. It acquired an even greater original character, which was a considerable advantage and almost vital need for such an establishment at that time.

Indeed, the Marquis de Rivarol was not a man who would miss such a good opportunity to be indiscreet for charity’s sake. Since he had many relations among the monarchists of that time, as he would also among those of the future, it became easy for him to serve the interests of his favorite café by making this and other anecdotes well known.

Thanks to him, the owner of the establishment became something of a curiosity and was sought out to the point of aggravation. This was compounded by the fact that although the innkeeper’s political convictions were as vague as they were moderate, his qualities were ascribed to his perceived political fervor, but in reality they lay in innate kindness and paternal tradition. In any case, this was very advantageous to him, for while the Calé Lemblin became the meeting place of the officers of the Empire, now retired or in the reserves, and of some republicans and liberals not belonging to the army, the voltigeurs of Louis XV and the young members of the Guards Corps chose the Cafe Valois.

http://nobility.org/2011/04/04/the-beauty-of-life-in-social-relationships/

Pray, sacrifice and light a Fatima Candle in reparation for the promotion of homosexual sin by the Catholic diocese of Saltillo, Mexico

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Send a candle of reparation to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

***

We know Our Lady will triumph. She said so at Fatima, on July 13, 1917:

"Finally, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!"

But this does NOT mean it will be smooth sailing until then, as some would want us to believe. For example, see what is happening in the Catholic diocese of Saltillo, Mexico.

According to Life Site News, the Saltillo diocese promoted a conference titled the 4th FORUM ON SEXUAL, FAMILIY AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY by a diocesan homosexualist organization that:

• condones sodomy

• approves cross-dressing

• supports abortion

These are blatant violations of Catholic morals and Natural Law. And it is a terrible offense against God and a public scandal to the faithful.

Such a shocking situation demands serious reparation. So please join other Catholic faithful in:

• Praying the Rosary, as Our Lady asked at Fatima

• Doing a Holy Hour of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

• Fasting, offering sacrifice, and doing acts of penance

Also, in reparation, please:

Send a candle of reparation to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

Unfortunately, the local ordinary, Bishop Raúl Vera López, celebrated Holy Mass for conference attendees.

According to the Catholic news agency ACI Prensa, a featured speaker for the conference was "Friar" Julián Cruzalta, a man who Catholic authorities have denounced for allowing himself to be falsely presented as a priest and representative of the Dominican order.

He was "chaplain" to "Catholics for the Right to Decide," opposed laws to protect the unborn and supported the homosexual political agenda.

The conference aimed to "eradicate what some sectors of the Church think about homosexuality," according to the informational page on the diocesan website.

Some conference events and lectures titles were:

• Two Mothers: Virtual Activism

• Papa, mama, I'm gay

• Crime for love doesn't pay, but it's comforting

Again, according to Life Site News, the diocesan promotional materials for the conference did NOT echo Catholic teaching that homosexual sin is a "grave evil" and the homosexual inclination is "intrinsically disordered."

For all these reasons, the Catholic faithful must offer prayer and reparation to Our Lord and to Our Lady.

So, please say a Rosary, do adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, offer sacrifices, and, if you'd like:

Send a candle of reparation to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

This is the least we can do to console the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Tradicioun y Accion

For the few who still believe in the existence of the devil and hell

“Omnes dii gentium daemonia” (“All of the gods of the gentiles are devils”), say the Scriptures.

In this structuralist perspective, in which magic is presented as a form of knowledge, to what degree may a Catholic perceive the deceitful flashes, the canticle (at once sinister and attractive, soothing and delirious, atheistic and fetishistically credulous) with which, from the bottom of the abysses where he lies eternally, the Prince of Darkness attracts those who have denied Jesus Christ and His Church?

This is a question that theologians can and should discuss. We mean the real theologians, that is, the few who still believe in the existence of the devil and hell, especially the few among these few who have the courage to face the scorn and persecution of the mass media and to speak out.

Source: Plinio Correa de Oliveira, Revolution and Counter-Revolution

http://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/UK_RCR.pdf

11 Ways the The Modern Religion of Equality Can Influence You

Exposing the Dictatorship of Equality

Why do most people feel uncomfortable talking about equality?
Is it fear of being “different?” Fear of being ridiculed? Fear of rejection? Political correctness? Peer pressure?

(Like modern buildings, equality has a leveling affect on society.)

No one admits it, but everyone is aware of an ill-disguised dictatorship of equality that creates uneasiness at the sole mention of this most hated “i-word”: Inequality.

One of the main tenets of modern political mythology is precisely the myth of equality and people perceive that those who do not burn incense to this idol are demonized as ignorant and parochial hillbillies, retrograde medieval men adverse to the advancement of society, or enemies of democracy.

The root of this myth is a moral difficulty: the problem of accepting a superior – to acknowledge that there are those who are more intelligent, more talented, of a higher status, better educated, or richer....

“Humility is truth,” said Saint Teresa of Avila. To live this “truth” means we never deny the gifts in ourselves, but thank God for them. Conversely, we should never deny the gifts in others, especially if theirs are greater than our own.

Humility practiced in this way becomes a fundamental virtue for cordial social relations and harmonious life in society.
It is hard to keep the balance after Original Sin, since we live in an era of pride. Egalitarianism deeply pervades the modern mentality.

Everything Works in Favor of Equality
Thus, we face a situation which dominates, embodies and encompasses all: an Egalitarian Revolution. This is why in our days everything seems to favor equality.¹

We can see this equality manifested in many ways:

1. Equality in the World Around Us
Variety easily leads to inequality of status. Hence, variety in dress, housing, furniture, habits, and other fields is to be avoided as much as possible.

• Equality of clothing: there is no difference between men and women, old and young people, civilian and military, clergy and laity; between people living in the tropics and living in more temperate climates; those living in Asia, Africa or America: everybody wears the same blue jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers.

• Equality in architecture: The same ugly skyscrapers or boxlike buildings make New York, São Paulo, Algiers or Manila look alike.

• Equality in music and songs: The same howl, the same drumming, the same cacophony and dissonance disturbs equally Americans, Italians, Malaysians, Japanese and Africans.

• Equality in food: Fast food chains standardize eating habits leading to the eradication of traditional local cuisine.

2. Equality Between Sexes
An egalitarian person hates all inequalities, including distinguishing between the sexes or within the family:

• There is no recognition of any social, political, economical or other like distinction between men and women.
• Equality of roles and behavior between husband and wife, parents and children are promoted.

3. Equality Between People of Different Status, Position, Age
The logic of egalitarianism rejects differences between teachers and students, employers and employees, old and young people:

• Everybody is addressed by their given names or nicknames.
• Everybody is dealt with in the same way regardless of merit.

4. Equality in the Structure of Society
Egalitarianism in personal relationships leads to social egalitarianism:

• There is the suppression of classes, especially those perpetuated by heredity, and the uprooting of all aristocratic influences upon the leadership, culture and customs of society. There is the eradication of even the natural hierarchy that can be seen in the natural superiority of intellectual over manual work.

5. Equality in the Political Realm
The doctrine of the equality of man is easily transposed from the social realm to the political:

• No difference between the rulers and ruled (there are no “subjects”): Elimination or at least the lessening of the inequality between the rulers and the ruled. Power comes not from God but from the masses.
• Consequently, monarchy and aristocracy are to be proscribed as intrinsically evil regimes because they are anti-egalitarian. Only “democracy” is legitimate, just, and “evangelical” (i.e., according to the teachings of the Gospel).

6. Equality in the Economic Realm
Economic inequality inevitably leads to social and political inequality. Therefore:

• No private property: No one should own anything; everything should belong to the community (communism/socialism).
• No right to choose one’s profession: If each one chooses his/her profession freely, inequalities will be created since there will always be those who are more capable, dynamic or ambitious. Therefore, in an ideal egalitarian society one’s occupation is prescribed by the State.

7. Equality in the Ecclesiastical Realm
Egalitarianism points also to the abolition of all differences inside the Church:

• It holds that there be no priests above the faithful: Egalitarian people want the suppression of a priesthood endowed with the power of Orders, Magisterium, and government, or at least of a priesthood with hierarchical degrees.
• Thus, they claim that there is no distinction between the celebrant and the “assembly” or “congregation.” Everyone “con-celebrates.”

8. Equality Among All Religions
An egalitarian person shakes with rage at the very idea that there may be a true religion:

• Actually, to claim that only one religion is true (the Catholic Church) to the exclusion of all others, amounts to affirming superiority, contradicting the “fundamental equality of men.”
• Likewise, in the name of the “dogma of equality,” secular states in the modern world place all religions on equal footing.

9. Equality of Souls
This true Cultural Psychological Warfare culminates in the total suffocation of all legitimate differences, complete standardization, and massification:

• Mass marketing and media standardize all souls, taking away their distinct features and unique lifestyle. As a result, the people (i.e. that great family of different but harmonious souls united by what is common to them) disappears, giving way to one, enormous, and empty mass with its collective and enslaved soul.

10. Equality Between Man and Other Living Beings
Stripped of his personality, man is reduced to just one among the many living beings, having no more rights than they do:

• Egalitarian environmentalism seeks to eliminate even the differences between men and other living things, in favor of an egalitarian consideration of the “dignity of all living beings.”

11. Equality Between Man and God
The last and absurdest form of egalitarianism, fruit of human pride, is the attempt to abolish the infinite inequality between God and man, that is, between the Creator and the creature:

• Pantheism, immanentism, and other esoteric forms of religion divinize man (e.g. the New Age movement).

• Atheism: Others, to avoid the absurdity of affirming that man is God, commit another absurdity of declaring that God does not exist. In essence, an atheist is an extremely egalitarian person.

The Egalitarian Revolution
Egalitarianism is not a spontaneous phenomenon but the result of a long process. It is the fruit of an Egalitarian Revolution.²
Both modern and contemporary history are marked by the efforts of those who wish to eradicate all inequalities and impose an egalitarian society, an egalitarian culture, an egalitarian religion − in a word, an egalitarian Weltanschauung (a comprehensive view of the world and human life).
The origin of this Egalitarian Revolution was an explosion of pride and sensuality at the end of the Middle Ages.³ Since then, this egalitarian movement has been increasing in pace and radicalism.

Egalitarianism: Metaphysics and Religion of the Modern World
“Two notions conceived as metaphysical values express well the spirit of the Revolution: absolute equality, complete liberty.”⁴
Pride leads to an egalitarian view of the world and human life. It leads to an egalitarian metaphysics.

This egalitarian metaphysics leads to the moral error that equates equality and justice. It holds that God Himself established a complete equality between men. This view generally prevails in the modern world.

Thus, egalitarianism has become the true metaphysics and unacknowledged religion of the modern world.

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Taken from the The Dictatorship of Equality - A Catholic Perspective, by Gustavo Solimeo

Photo by Ilpos Sojourn and used with permission from the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.