Power Grabbers, Troublemakers, Liars & Killers

The ruthless and greedy power grabbers, the passive-aggressive troublemakers, the chronic liars and mass killers serve at the pleasure of Satan.  Whichever side they are on [1] makes no difference to Satan so long as they continue to ruin lives, disturb the peace and create havoc around the world, lie and kill.  These evildoers feign righteousness but are hypocrites.  They could not be more despicable.  While I say the Fatima prayer as part of my rosary for myself as well as for these contemptible creatures, my uncompassionate heart will not allow a single tear to shed if and when Saint Michael thrust them and their evilness into Hell.


[1] It is almost amusing to see the liars pointing fingers at the killers and the killers blaming the ruthless and greedy power grabbers and troublemakers and to realize that the liars are also themselves killers and the killers themselves liars, power grabbers and troublemakers.  Evildoers are evil and they do not need to be distinguished and separated.

The Suffering Church

Satan's influence upon the souls of men is gaining relatively recently, evidenced by forcibly burned and destroyed churches in the Mideast [1], [2], [3] and in Armenia [4] and desecrated churches in France and Italy [5], [6], voluntary Catholic church closings in the United States [7], [8] and government sanctioned curtailment of mainly Protestant churches in China [9].  The footnote citations show not only are ISIL and certain Al-Qaeda groups doing the work of Satan in destroying churches, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is also doing the same to churches in America, and in my opinion, no less violent than what has been happening around the world, by his decision to "merge 112 of [the Archdiocese of New York's] 368 parishes into 55, effectively shuttering at least 31 churches by Aug. 1, 2015." [10]

The Cardinal admitted that "the restructuring is not the result of a shortage of priests, but from a shortage of the faithful.  'They're not coming anymore and we have to get them back.'" [11]

What? The Catholic Church can get the faithful back by shutting down its churches rather than inspiring the not-always-faithful and others to go to church to kneel before the alter to pray and meditate on the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?

I seriously doubt that the churches that have been targeted by Cardinal Dolan for closure have no faithful attendees anymore.  I suspect that he wanted the churches closed because of financial reasons.  If my guess is right, then the Cardinal told a lie.  Why should anyone be surprised?  Satan is the Prince of Lies.  Those under Its influence [12] will lie on Its behalf, to desecrate and destroy churches on Its behalf, to shut down the very sanctuaries of holiness on Its behalf, so that fewer and fewer people could easily enter into a nearby church to kneel supplicate before the Forgiver of Sin often so that their souls may be saved.


[1] http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2014/07/30/all-45-christian-institutions-in-mosul-destroyed-or-occupied-by-isis/
[2] http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/20/ISIS-burns-1-800-year-old-church-in-Mosul.html
[3] http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=21758
[4] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jabhat-alnusra-blows-up-armenian-church-in-deir-elzour-a-savage-blow-that-echoes-through-armenian-history-9852372.html
[5] http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=22239
[6] http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2014/06/church-desecration-tabernacle-broken.html 
[7] http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1404533.htm
[8] http://www.westernjournalism.com/city-permits-muslim-group-desecrate-catholic-church/
[9] http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/08/why-is-china-tearing-down-church-crosses-because-its-terrified-of-religion/
[10] http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1404533.htm
[11] Ibid.
[12] This blog has consistently maintained that Satan seeks out the weak leaders in their respective thrones of influence and power in order to possess them so that they would speak and act on Its behalf, by putting distance between men and Christ, so that Satan can freely roam the earth seeking the ruin of souls.

The Miracles Of Prayer

Praying the rosary brings eventual peace into one's otherwise difficult and stressful life.  This is the first miracle.  Within this first miracle are eventual answers to one's prayers, including answers to prayers not prayed for specifically [1], giving one peace of mind.  The second miracle is not so noticeable.  The prayers of the rosary also strengthens the body and the mind, even when one is going through pain and suffering.


[1] An example of an answer to a prayer not prayed for specifically is the miracle of avoiding a traffic accident countless number of times by miraculously observing traffic, traffic signals, pedestrians, barricades, et cetera, just in time to slow down and/or come to a complete stop safely.

A Guardian of the Blessed Sacrament

An article dated October 24, 2014, by John Pontifex is quoted below [1]:

Bombs are falling and the sound of the explosion is sending shock and fear into the hearts of the people. Amid the sound of crying and frenzied activity, people pack up what belongings they can carry and make off into the night.

In the midst of it all stands Martin Baani, a 24-year-old seminarian. It’s dawning on him that this is Karamlesh’s last stand.

For 1,800 years, Christianity has had a home in the hearts and minds of the people of this village so full of antiquity. Now that era is about to be brought to a calamitous end; Islamic State are advancing.

Martin’s mobile phone rings: a friend stammers out the news that the nearby town of Telkaif has fallen to “Da’ash” – the Arabic name for Islamic State.  Karamlesh would surely be next.

Martin dashes out of his aunt’s house, where he is staying, and heads for the nearby St Addai’s Church. He takes the Blessed Sacrament, [2] a bundle of official papers and walks out of the church. Outside a car awaits – his parish priest, Father Thabet, and three other priests are inside.

Martin gets in and the car speeds off. They leave Karamlesh and the last remnants of the village’s Christian presence go with them.

Speaking to Martin in the calm of St Peter’s Seminary, Ankawa—a suburb of the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil—it is difficult to imagine he is describing anything except a bad dream. But there is nothing dreamy in Martin’s expression. “Until the very last minute, the Pashmerga [the Kurdish armed forces protecting the villages] were telling us it was safe.

“But then we heard that they were setting up big guns on St Barbara’s Hill [on the edge of the village] and we knew then the situation had become very dangerous.”

Taking stock of that terrible night of August 6, Martin’s confidence is bolstered by the presence of 27 other seminarians at St Peter’s, many with their own stories of escape from the clutches of the Islamic militants.

Martin and his fellow students for the priesthood know that the future is bleak as regards Christianity in Iraq. A community of 1.5 million Christians before 2003 has dwindled to less than 300,000. And of those who remain, more than a third are displaced. Many, if not most, want a new life in a new country.

Martin, however, is not one of them. “I could easily go,” he explains calmly. “My family now live in California. I already have been given a visa to go to America and visit them.”

“But I want to stay. I don’t want to run away from the problem.” [3]

Martin has already made the choice that marks out the priests who have decided to stay in Iraq; his vocation is to serve the people—come what may.

“We must stand up for our rights; we must not be afraid,” he explains. Describing in detail the emergency relief work that has occupied so much of his time, it is plain to see that he feels his place is to be with the people.

Martin is already a sub-deacon. Now in his final year of theology, ordination to the priesthood is but a few months away.

“Thank you for your prayers,” says Martin, as I take my leave of him. “We count on your support.”

John Pontifex is a senior journalist for Aid to the Church in Need [4]

ACN photo: Martin Baani

[1] http://www.churchinneed.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8115&news_iv_ctrl=1461
[2] The spirit of a nameless and faceless little girl in China lives in Martin Baani, the same girl who inspired Bishop Fulton Sheen to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour daily.  See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/701076/posts
[3] What problem did Martin Baani not want to run away from?  Perhaps he was referring to the Christ crucifiers.  How long would Martin Baani be able to protect the Body of Christ with his own?  I hope for a long, long time, despite the trials and tribulations that may lie ahead.  God is certain to be by his side, always.
[4] John Pontifex also writes for CatholicHerald.co.uk.  See http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/author/john-pontifex/

Religion & Politics

Politics and religion is inextricably intertwined, even in a "free" country such as the United States that has in its Constitution an Amendment that states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion [the "Establishment Clause"], or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." [1]  "The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law 'respecting an establishment of religion.' This clause not only forbids the government from establishing an official religion, but also prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another. It also prohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion." [Emphasis  added.] [2]

Interpretation of the United States Establishment Clause is sound, but there is one major problem--United States coins and United States Federal Reserve notes show the following words: "In God We Trust." [3]  They make no mention of Allah [4], Buddah [5] and Zeus [6], for example.  Thus, not only has the United States government tied itself to religion, but it is also preferring one religion over others and over secularism in contradiction to the Establishment Clause.

A secondary problem centers on these very words: "In God We Trust."  Does the United States of America really have trust in God and how should it follow the Catholic Church's schizophrenic interpretation of the Gospels?  Should it fight "just" wars [7], or love thy enemies [8], [9]?

While Christ is absolutely right that one should love his enemies, is it reasonable for one to consider those who torture and decapitate the vulnerable to be his enemies and to kill them to stop further atrocities in order to advance human civilization?  The question may be framed to elicit an answer in the positive but ultimately in politics, and sadly in religion too, the end game--who lives and who dies, the killer and the killed (literally and figuratively)-- is about ideology and power over people based on rationalization, propaganda and lies.

Only God knows if a killer ought to be forgiven, whichever side the killer is on.  Until the Truth is revealed as to who is right and who is wrong, who should live and who should die, who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell, killings will continue, as will ideological politics [10], whether they are played by a secular state, a theocracy or a religion.


[1] http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution/the-amendments/amendment-1-freedom-of-religion-press-expression
[2] http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/establishment_clause
[3] http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
[4] http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
[5] http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/life-of-buddha.htm/
[6] http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
[7] http://www.catholic.com/documents/just-war-doctrine
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6%3A27-36&version=ISV
[9] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:43-48
[10] Arguably all politics is ideological.

An Angelic Face No Longer

Below is a side by side photograph of actress Renee Zellweger [1] before and after her transformation, one that is, in my opinion, from angelic (left) to ghastly:

 Here are two more [2], [3]:

Sad is the cruel world of Hollywood, a place that attracts those who hunger for attention, money and fame, that objectifies people and reduces them to commodities.  Like commodities, they are bought and sold.  It makes no difference whether others buy and sell them or they buy and sell themselves, they know their prices.  No matter how big the dollar amount is at the end of a performer's career, it is finite.

God did not intend for anyone to be finite.  God created man and gave us Christ as a model of the infinite.  Being infinite, Christ could not be bought by Satan's most tantalizing temptations and is therefore priceless.  That is what God intends for every person--priceless in a unique way and to give to others the infiniteness within. 

The joy of being infinite is the Joy of Heaven.  Imagine how vulgar it would be for someone to wait around Heaven's Gate with a price tag around the neck when Heaven is looking for all who are priceless and infinite [4].

For those who find it necessary to alter one's looks or skin color, or maintain the look of youth to meet the shallow demands of Hollywood, may they find peace beyond their insatiable quest for popularity, wealth and fame, and beyond what they see in the mirror: the illusion of acceptance.



[1] http://sinarharapan.co/news/read/27528/-wajah-baru-renee-zellweger
[2] http://gossipmagazines.net/renee-zellweger-plastic-surgery/
[3] http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/renee-zellwegers-new-look-raises-eyebrows-20140314-34qoh.html
[4] Not everyone who earns a living in the entertainment industry (reality shows included) will treat his/her wealth as a ticket to enter Heaven, but it is reasonable to assume that some will.  Those who do have nothing but emptiness within.

All Saints Day - 2014

Each saint has his or her feast day and together they share All Saints Day.  I do not know all the names of the saints of the Catholic Church but am certain that some are far more saintly than others.  However, in deference to all the saints regardless of the extent of each saint's holiness, I have looked forward to their gathering on November 1st to pray away the darkness of secularization embraced by those around the world who celebrate Halloween the nights and days before.

Assuming that the saints do pray, their prayers have not been all that effective since the human race is still bent toward the darkness of secularization.  Not only is it largely oblivious to the Feast of All Saints, it has turned Christmas into a holiday that has little to do with celebrating the birth of Christ, but rather a time to indulge in shopping, feasting, drinking, gifting and refunding or exchanging of presents received.  More sinister is the human race spending more time dressing up as bunnies and Easter-egg hunting on Easter Sunday than reflecting on the meaning of Christ's resurrection, not to mention the many people who treat Good Friday merely as another holiday, and who do not give a moment's thought to the suffering and crucifixion of the Sinless Christ for the forgiveness of Sin and the salvation of souls.

How the Catholic Church has determined November 2nd to be All Souls Day when Halloween seems to be a day for all souls already is a mystery to me.  Is the Fatima prayer that is to be said at the end of each of the five decades of the Hail Mary ("Ave Maria ") prayer insufficient?  Perhaps not.  Since more and more people are hell-bent on being unsaintly, their souls would require their special day, so that those who are living can pray for them since the dead can no longer pray themselves, not until their souls enter Heaven.

On the Feast of All Saints, both the living and the dead would be glad to have the benefit of the prayers of all the saints.  All should be thankful for their prayers on their shared feast day and those who have the luxury to pray ought to pray that they continue praying.