Social Media and hurting yourself and others...

Rothko

Merging with the crowd feels much better than standing alone.*

Since the death of my friend, for some reason I've become much more sensitive regarding criticism and rash judgment.  I've always opposed it when it has been focused upon the Holy Father, and over the years, I've gone back and forth on criticism of bishops.

For years I've been skeptical about 'new' religious orders, or communities, and I've offered my share of criticism suspicion about certain groups.  Considering the toxic things Trump dishes out to anyone who questions what he says, it occurred to me that he is speaking from some sort of interior deficit.  His cousin, Mary Trump suggests he acts out because of deep seated insecurities.  That could include fear of failure, fear that people may discover his vulnerability or weaknesses, and so on.

I considered that analysis in respect to my own 'critical spirit'.  Perhaps my criticism of others reflects what I most lack in myself?  Or failed to achieve? Perhaps it is rooted in envy, even jealousy?  Stemming from my own sense/fear of failure?  Used as an offensive to avoid being found out by others...  It's all stuff I've been reflecting upon in my grief and solitude.

I suppose I recognize it in others, probably because I am guilty of, or prone to the same toxic attitudes.  In fact, many years ago, very much influenced by Traditionalists, I freely criticized so-called 'neo-cons' - without grounds.  I followed the opinions of those who appeared to know better, because they were steeped in Traditional Catholicism, and trusted nothing after 1960, and that sort of thing.  I began blogging under that influence.  I freely criticized other writers, Catholic movements, priests, and so on.

My conscience has been especially troubled recently, as I encountered the mean spirited posts and comments regarding a well known Catholic blogger-writer.  She was very much maligned over the years because she married a man who had been a priest.  I followed suit in my criticism - totally unwarranted, BTW.  She in turn contacted me and asked why I would treat her like that, since we didn't even know one another.  I accepted her humble question as a 'rebuke' and an occasion to examine my conscience.  I apologized and we became online friends.  When I came across the latest attacks upon her character and talent, I had great sympathy for her, once again.  She is in my prayers.  The people maligning her seem to thrive on condemning those they disagree with. 

That is just one example of my change of heart.  Immediately after my friend died, a high school friend posted comments mocking Trump.  I'm no fan of Trump, I don't like him at all, but the mocking, sneering comments are always against charity, and I can't support that any longer.  I told her that, and she removed her comment.

In turn, some of my 'online friends' constantly criticize Catholics who support Trump, reject Pope Francis, while they themselves embrace so-called liberal politics, including the questionable political motives of a radical left.  They seem to be able to ignore some of the tactics and agenda of the 'left', and embrace everything opposed to the Trump administration.  (Like I said, I'm not a fan of Trump.) It seems to me, they fall into the exact same trap I fell into years ago, when I sided with the more traditionalist agenda, which supported Pope Benedict before his retirement.

I think both sides tie into an ideological mindset, a kind of dogmatism, and therefore become rigid in a closed system, as it were.  Therefore one pigeon-holes certain groups and person, which excludes them from your social network/clique, and vice versa.  I recognize in these situations the corrupting influence of a collective mentality, a sort of group think which influences social media and manipulates opinion.

Just sharing some thoughts.

*"Americans have discovered the way in which fear of collective disapproval breeds self-censorship and silence, which impoverish public life and creative work. The double life one ends up leading—one where there is a growing gap between one’s public and private selves—eventually begins to feel oppressive." - The American Soviet Mentality

Devotion to the Holy Wounds

I have a 'secret' title.

When I was professed in the III Order of St. Francis, I took the title 'of the Holy Wounds' since after my conversion, I found the devotion to the Sacred Wounds especially efficacious against temptation and in reparation for sin.  I was especially devoted to the wounds inflicted upon Jesus in the scourging, along with the wounds of the Crucifixion.  I say the chaplet of the Holy Wounds, as well as the chaplet of Divine Mercy.... for the sick, the dying, and those who have died - those whose faith is known to God alone.  This is the direction my life has taken now.

Promises of the devotion.

I will link to Mystics of the Church, the source of the following information on the devotion.

Sister Mary Martha Chambon and Devotion to the Holy Wounds of Jesus Christ 

Sister Mary Martha Chambon (1841- March 21, 1907), a nun of the Religious of the Visitation of Chambery, could be called the apostle of the Holy Wounds. Like St. Margaret Mary, a saint from the same religious order, whom Jesus entrusted with the Devotion to the Sacred Heart; Sister Mary Martha Chambon was entrusted with the Devotion to the Holy Wounds. 

One year on the Feast of the Visitation, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her together with St. Margaret Mary and the Founders of the order to confirm her mission. The Blessed Virgin Mary told her: “Blessed Margaret Mary reproduced the Sacred Heart of my Son in order to give Him to the world…and you, my daughter are chosen to arrest the justice of God in making known the merits of the Passion and of the Holy Wounds of my unique and beloved son, Jesus.”  

Jesus, Himself, revealed to her the many advantages and graces that can be obtained through this devotion to His Holy Wounds:
“My daughter, each time you offer to My Father the merits of My divine Wounds, you gain an immense fortune.”
"Behold wherewith to pay all debts. Fear not to show My Wounds to souls. The way of My Wounds is an easy and simple way of going to heaven.”“I will grant all that is asked of Me through devotion to the Holy Wounds. Those who will honor them will have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ.”“There will be no death for the soul that expires in My Wounds, They give true life.” 

Then, Jesus taught her these two aspirations:
“My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds.”
 Jesus indicated that this aspiration should be repeated often near the sick as it is promised to bring solace to soul and body. The second prayer that Jesus taught her was:
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, to heal the wounds of our souls.” Jesus promised the conversion of the sinner who would make this offering.
The sisters in this convent arranged these two aspirations into the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, also called the Chaplet of Mercy, in order to facilitate its recitation. These aspirations, which are indulgenced, can be said on any rosary or chaplet, or may be said as single invocations during work. 

Sister Martha Chambon had great zeal for souls, especially the dying. Jesus told her:
“You must offer the merits of the Holy Wounds for persons who die in the night or during the course of the day.” Jesus told her of this great gift He had given to her community: “Behold your treasure. The treasure of the Holy Wounds encloses crowns which you should take and give to others. One day these souls for whom you shall have obtained a holy death by your prayers, will turn towards you to thank you. All men shall appear before Me on the judgment day, and I shall then point out My privileged Spouses, who shall have purified the world by My Holy Wounds.”

Another practice of Saint Mary Martha was offering her actions in union with the Holy Wounds for the conversion of sinners and for the souls in purgatory. In this way, she obtained the release of many souls. The chaplet of the Holy Wounds is a very efficacious way of helping the poor souls. Jesus told her once:
“My daughter, look at my Wounds, offer them for the souls in Purgatory. The sufferings of My Holy Passion, behold the great remedy for these souls; but its merits must be applied to them.”  

-Source

The chaplet of the Holy Wounds is a very efficacious way of helping the poor souls. 

Feast of St. Elijah

My favorite little painting ...

Feast of St. Elijah, Prophet

In the 19th century a Coptic manuscript was found, known as the Apocalypse of Elijah. Elijah is of course associated with the coming of the Messiah - for Jews and Christians - Muslims as well. Christ attested to his coming in the Gospel - in regard to John the Baptist. Jews still set a place at table for Elijah, and the Book of Revelation speaks of his return at the end times.

"No one is able to enter the holy place if he is double minded. The one who is double minded in his prayer is darkness to himself. And even the angels do not trust him." - Apocalypse

1.The word of YHWH came to me saying, "Son of man, say to his people, 'why do you add sin to your sins and anger the Lord God who created you ?' " 2.Don't love the world or the things which are in the world, for the boasting of the world and its destruction belong to the devil. 

13.Hear, O wise men of the land, concerning the deceivers who will multiply in the last times so that they will set down for themselves doctrines which do not belong to God, setting aside the Law of God, those who have made their belly their God, saying, "The fast does not exist, nor did God create it," making themselves strangers to the covenant of God and robbing themselves of the glorious promises. 

14.Now these are not ever correctly established in the firm faith. Therefore don't let those people lead you astray. 

25.Likewise no one is able to enter the holy place if he is double minded. 26.The one who is double minded in his prayer is darkness to himself. And even the angels do not trust him. 27.Therefore be single-minded in the Lord at all times so that you might know every moment. - Apocalypse of Elijah

Another poem too important to forget ...

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone who journeyed through the night
with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world
to say it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where like a shadow or a friend.

- Naomi Shihab Nye from The Words Under the Words: Selected Poems

A glimpse of the hermitage garden ....

What I did for a friend...

I concentrated all the pots so it could be viewed comfortably from the house. Darold had mobility issues, as well as Parkinson's related dementia - albeit fairly mild. So he sat in the 'garden room' where he could watch TV, go online, and look out on the 'secret' part of the garden. He loved the hedge untrimmed this year with all the privacy. It reminded him of a PBS garden show about tracking rhododendron in the Himalayas - I may have that wrong.  The shade garden is now more wild - which he liked, because I told him St. Francis encouraged a wild portion to gardens for the critters.  Indeed,  critters live there, so there is lots of activity. Rabbits and gophers - and once upon a time, a couple raccoons visited. He loved watching the birds and the bunnies.

This year I planted to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and goldfinch, otherwise there are the cardinals, sparrows and house wrens, and a couple of midnight blue birds I can't identify. The little water features attract a host of others - they are at different levels for the ground squirrels and rabbits to drink from.  He actually complimented me on the arrangement of pots, that was a first!


He would love it tonight, since everything is voluptuous.

The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, 

most fruitful vine, 

splendor of heaven, 

holy and singular, 

who brought forth the Son of God, 

still ever remaining a pure virgin, 

assist us in our necessity! 

O Star of the Sea, 

help and protect us! 

Show us that you are our Mother! 

Devotion

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is an ancient devotion, and one, it seems to me, necessary in our times when there are signs of persecution and the threat of war. When the dogma of faith is challenged and compromised throughout Christendom. When paganism has once again attracted and made captive mainstream society. When idolatry has replaced true worship of God the Father in spirit and truth.

Mt. Carmel reminds us of the Prophet Elijah of course, he who defeated the false prophets of Baal. The Order of Carmel has always seen the prophets Elijah and Elisha as the 'proto-founders' of the order. In the passage from Kings wherein Elijah sees the "little cloud rising from the sea" from his perch atop the summit of Mt. Carmel many have written that this little cloud prefigures the Virgin who would bear the Savior - hence, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

The last apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes took place on the feast of Mt. Carmel, July 16:

The 18th appearance 16 July 1858

This was the final appearance. Because the grotto was barricaded by the local government, Bernadette knelt outside the fence by the riverbank. "I thought I was at the Grotto, at the same distance as I was the other times. All I saw was Our Lady ... She was more beautiful than ever."

Perhaps more significantly, at Fatima Our Lady showed herself as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel during the miracle of the sun. For me, there are intriguing parallels on that account with the Prophet Elijah in his confrontation with the pagan priests on Carmel, and calling down fire from heaven. Because of that, it lends an apocalyptic nuance to the final vision of Fatima.

Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, notre Consolation à l’heure de la mort, priez pour nous pécheurs,

Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, Avocate des pêcheurs les plus abandonnés, priez pour nous pécheurs,

Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, Pour ceux qui sont endurcis dans le vice,

Nous venons à Vous avec confiance, Ô Notre Dame du Mont Carmel...

Novena to the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel

O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel,
fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin, conceived without sin,
Co-Redemptrix,
Mediatrix of men before God,
Refuge of all our hopes,
assist those most in need of thy mercy.
O Star of the Sea, help those most in need of thy mercy,
and show them you are their Maternal refuge.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succor your servant in this necessity.
There are none that can withstand your power.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee,
And for those who do not have recourse to thee,
especially those most in need of thy mercy.

Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. Amen.

O Compassionate Mother,

You are the open-wide fount who wash away the faults of men.
All you help, rejecting none:
Extend your hand to the Dead,
Who in pain languish continually, O Mary!

Prayers to Our Lady, Joy of All Who Sorrow

O All-Holy Lady Theotokos,

More exalted than the Cherubim and more honorable than the Seraphim,

O Divinely-Chosen Maiden, Joy of All the Sorrowful,

Grant consolation also to us, who are in sorrow:

For without you we have no other refuge or help.

Lauding thy mercies and wonders, O Theotokos, we all praise thee as our steadfast intercessor, and bowing down with compunction before thee who doth pray for us, we implore thee to lift up thy hands to thy Son, that always in this life, and after our death, His mercy may continually be upon us who cry out to thee: 

Rejoice, our unashamed hope in life and after our repose! 

Rejoice, thou who doth grant a peaceful end of this life to those who honour thee! 

Rejoice, our hope and defence on the Day of Judgment! 

Rejoice, supplication of the just Judge! 

Rejoice, deliverance from everlasting torment! 

Rejoice, hope of eternal salvation! 

Rejoice, key to the Kingdom of Christ! Rejoice, portal of Paradise! 

Rejoice, bridge leading to the heavens! 

Rejoice, refuge and good intercessor for all repentant sinners! 

Rejoice, joy of the angels! Rejoice, glory and consolation of all the righteous! 

O Most-holy Mother of God, Joy of all the Sorrowful
Grant thy mercy to us sinners.
Thy Son now sits on the throne of the Eternal Kingdom,
And all our troubles thou seest; thou knowest them as they occur.
Thou hast always prayed to Christ God for the faithful,
And hast relieved much pain and misery of the sorrowful.
O Holy Virgin, never cease, to the end of time,
To pray for the salvation of our race.
God hast made thee even more glorious than the Seraphim:
O hasten to us, O Joy of all the Sorrowful!

O All-hymned Mother, crushed by thy sorrow at the Cross of thy Son and God, accept our tears and expressions of sorrow, and save from every sorrow, affliction, and eternal death all those who hope in thine ineffable kindheartedness and cry out to God: Alleluia!

O All-hymned Mother, crushed by thy sorrow at the Cross of thy Son and God, accept our tears and expressions of sorrow, and save from every sorrow, affliction, and eternal death all those who hope in thine ineffable kindheartedness and cry out to God: Alleluia!

O All-hymned Mother, crushed by thy sorrow at the Cross of thy Son and God, accept our tears and expressions of sorrow, and save from every sorrow, affliction, and eternal death all those who hope in thine ineffable kindheartedness and cry out to God: Alleluia! 

I should update the blog.

I spend too much time on FB.

Doing what?  Engaging in discussions about stuff I used to post about on the blog.  Mystics, locutions, monks, anti-papist Catholics, deluded prelates, but not a lot about other stuff.  A little bit of politics, but I hold back, since it seems everyone I know is pro-Trump.

I've written about how the riots and protests, as well as the vandalism of monuments reminds me of the events in Mexico in the 1920's, the Cristeros, as well the violence of Republican Spain.  I also see similarities to the Paris Commune, especially in Seattle.  It takes a lot of research to write about this stuff, and I don't have the energy.

Lots of people seem to be seeing prophecies fulfilled these days.  I'm not qualified to contradict them.

So there.  That's an update.

My bad - I just checked comments today and posted those in moderation.

I'm not ignoring you - thanks for commenting.  I used to get email alerts to comments, but no longer do.  That's why I miss them.

Trinity Sunday

 "O my God, You are in me and I am in You."

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness. - Elizabeth of the Trinity

 Infinite Solitude.  "The complete Trinity dwells in us."

Immensity wherein I lose myself.

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude!

In 1925, Trinity Sunday fell on June 7. 

That Sunday, Matt Talbot collapsed and died from heart failure. 

He was on his way to Mass.

Prayers for all of my friends,

especially those I have alienated.

Pray for me.

Urban Warfare

It's supposed to get worse tonight.

I used to live in a condo in the area that was burned last night.  The Governor and mayor have evidence out of state agitators-organizers are behind this.  The protest has moved away from being about George Floyd and turned into an attack against civil society.  What the want is destruction.  Tonight is supposed to be worse. 

The fires last night were only 2 miles from my house. 

I don't know what else to say.  I don't like the politics against leadership and how they are handling this.  No one was ready for this.  No one expected this.  There are so many poor people now displaced by fires, now unable to get food and supplies.  They lost income because of COVID - now this. 

Someone online made a joke about looting a Dollar Store - but poor people really buy their supplies in stores like that.  It makes me sad, because we are so privileged we don't realize the plight of the poor in our own cities.  It breaks my heart.

St. Paul VI

It was a wonderful consolation this morning when I realized today is the feast day of Pope Paul VI.

I am so grateful for his canonization, which is a confirmation of his sanctity and an affirmation of the good he accomplished as Pope.  It seems to me to also affirm Vatican II and the Ordinary Form of Mass.  Whenever one is tempted to doubt the efficacy of the Ordinary Form of Mass, Divine Providence has given us a sign in the canonization of Pope Paul VI, that Christ remains faithful to the Church, and his promises (to remain with us always) never fails.  Christ is faithful - even when we may not be.  He remains faithful, even when some depart, because they do not accept post-Conciliar papal authority, the Missal of Paul VI, and so on.

St. Paul VI, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Minneapolis Burning

It's all over the news, so I haven't posted about it here.  It feels like a war.  It's scary.

Aiding and Abetting

Fatima - the repellent stuff.

Why people consider it passe.

I had a discussion with a friend who has never been attracted to Fatima and the devotion.  He has a ton of questions - which comprise his objections, more or less.  I like skeptics and academics who are also devout Catholics.  No one is obliged to believe private revelations, even though several Popes have endorsed Fatima, and the prophecies and miracle have been validated.  Fatima has its share of eccentrics, and due to all the bad interpretations of the secrets and message, the authentic message is eclipsed and ignored.  My friend asked why the devotion is still credible?

I responded that it is credible - but the extreme side has exaggerated the message and distorted the secret, while they sensationalized the warnings from the Blessed Virgin. Essentially the message of Fatima is similar to that of the revelations to S. Margaret Mary and the request for the King of France to consecrate the nation. He did, but it was late, which led to secularization - I simplified the narrative.

Our Lord appeared to Lucia telling her how important the consecration to the IHM was to him and for the peace of the world - which has been entrusted to the Virgin. He told her the consecration will take place, but it will be late - citing the French failure. Over the decades, esp. approaching 1960, many Catholics were anxious for the Holy Father to reveal the 3rd part of the secret.  This apparently was even more important for them than the request for 1st Saturday devotion and the consecration to  Russia. Of course, Pius XII did so in a round about way, but it wasn't in union with all the bishops, etc..

As we know, JPII did it, and only much later revealed the 3rd part of the secret.  The JPII consecration was as OL asked, collegial, including a sort in pectore reference to Russia.  Sr. Lucia said it was done and accepted by heaven, albeit late.  Obviously the errors of Russia had meanwhile spread and we have seen the effects of that, albeit nuclear war was avoided.

Nevertheless, these people continue to claim the consecration wasn't done, or at least not accomplished exactly as OL requested - in this, they have veered off track.  In reference to an earlier post on Frere Michel's early work, I continued:

I had no idea how far Frere Michel's position Fatima (the secret and consecration, etc.) had evolved nor his association with Gruner.  The Gruner position is that the Virgin warned of a bad council, the Novus Ordo, and bad popes. Lucia never, ever said anything about that. She participated in the NO Mass and sacramental life.

Long story short, the bare bones of Fatima is credible - substantiated by every Pope since Pius XII, verified by Sr. Lucia herself, as well as a stunning miracle, several prophecies fulfilled, resulting in numerous conversions and so on. Because the effects of the 'errors of Russia' are still at play, the world remains in conflict. However, extrapolating the pandemic and antivax theories as part of the message is a stretch.   I seriously think Cardinal Burke has been misled by all the right wing propaganda - including QAnon crap.  The misinformation just can't be flushed out of the culture, or strands of popular-piety at this time.   Anyway - these people have done more harm to the Church and the devotion by their conspiracy theories, which in many instances have been actual lies, repeated so often, they are no longer differentiated from the original narrative. 

Cardinal Burke ... the Coronavirus as chastisement.

To my amazement, later in the day I received an alert,  LifeSite published a talk by John Henry Westen, going even further than Cardinal Burke's address Wednesday, using Fatima to discredit Pope Francis.  An excerpt:

Thursday, May 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – In these times of Coronavirus it has become for me clear that we are living in the end times, at least as that pertains to the chastisement predicted by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. Today the greatest deprivation of all time has taken place. For the first time in history the greater part of Catholic humanity has been deprived of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

[...] In these times, the confusion is most grave as it is comes from the Pope himself who is supposed to be the chief guardian of the truths of the faith. Pope Francis has caused dreadful confusion with public statements to the press distorting Church teaching about contraception, cohabitation, homosexuality and transgenderism.

[...] It is worth noting that just before this virus broke out, the Pope allowed for idolatry in the Vatican Gardens. The Pachamama idolatry that took place there also included prostration before a statue of the Pachamama. The statue was later processed into St. Peter’s Basilica where the Pope and several Cardinals said prayers before it. This act was condemned by many Cardinals, bishops, priests, and laity all over the world. - Westen

LifeSite, Westen, Burke, Vigano and Schneider are acting as a parallel Magisterium.  The Rome Life Forum is not a synod - they are not in charge.  In fact they are leading a movement in opposition to the Pope.  It's unbelievable.  Westen clams the greater part of humanity has been deprived of Mass.  Later he concedes Mass is continued to be celebrated, but compares it to how priests would function under extreme persecution.  So many claims and subsequent links to Fatima are a misrepresentation of fact, based upon hybrid private revelations and subjective interpretations.

Fatima, Anticommunism and McCarthyism were linked in the popular consciousness of the 1950's.  Unfortunately, the Fatima movement has often been used for ideological and political purposes.

I leave it here for now.

Who or What is Influencing Cardinal Burke and Others Regarding Fatima?

The ghost of Fr. Gruner?

Venerable Cardinal Burke, in an address to the virtual Rome Life Forum, 'connected the errors of communist Russia with the current corona crisis', calling for the consecration of Russia as per Our Lady's requests at Fatima.

I have to wonder who is influencing Cardinal Burke. In his address, his call to put into practice the message of Fatima, along with the First Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is wonderful - it is good advice. However, it appears he believes the Consecration of Russia was either incomplete or not accepted by Heaven. That implies that St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, the CDF and Sr. Lucia herself, were not telling the truth. JPII made the consecration, which Sr. Lucia explicitly stated had finally been accomplished, and that Heaven accepted it. I do not understand the Cardinal's contradiction of the Holy See?

Reading the footnotes, I noted Burke appears to rely upon the writings of Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth about Fatima, Volume Three. Frere Michel speculated and wrote about the secret before the third part was revealed - he spoke about it publicly, sharing his insights based upon those who knew Sr. Lucia, as well as his personal intellectual deduction. He is now a Carthusian, Dom François Marie Velut, O. Carth., formerly Prior of Grande Chartreuse, therefore I have no idea what his thought about Fatima is today. 

When I understood he became a Carthusian, my respect for his theories was automatic, and admittedly, influenced my understanding of Fatima.  Until the actual secret was revealed, and having read the accounts of Sr. Lucia herself.  That said, many writers have expanded on the theories set forth by Frere Michel, many of which contradict Sr. Lucia's own testimony.  The idea that the secret was not revealed in its entirety, and that the consecration was inadequate., contradicts the Holy See and Sr. Lucia.

Fatima Crusaders.

The never ending conspiracy theories infecting Fatima, spoils the authenticity of the message for many, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  Many Catholics consider it a sort of right-wing-nut obsession. If the Cardinal would have only emphasized the requests of Our Lady as directed to the faithful, it would have been much better. The association of the virus with the Secret of Fatima strikes me as conjecture.

The 3 volumes on Fatima, written by Frere Michel (Velut) are definitely an important work.  Fr. Gruner and the Fatima Crusader seemed to have based their entire apostolate on Frere Michel's scholarship.  Fr. Kramer's book 'The Devil's Final Battle' is very much based upon Frere Michel's research and public addresses.  Unfortunately, it appears that Cardinal Burke and Archbishop Vigano have been influenced by all of them.  I say that because it contradicts what the Holy See has revealed, and what Sr. Lucia stated before her death, in letters and books, verified by the Carmel in Coimbra, Portugal.

I hate to link to some sites because they deal in misinformation and conspiracy theories.  Nevertheless I will link to provide the reader with the opportunity of reading an address on the secret by Frere Michel in 1985.  Obviously pre-dating the revelation of the actual secret by 15 years.  Likewise I will link to the Cardinal Burke address.

What Cardinal Burke said.

In a powerful address during the virtual Rome Life Forum hosted by Voice of the Family (read full talk below), the Cardinal connected the errors of communist Russia with the current crisis, highlighting the prominent role that the atheist communist regime of China has played in it.

“The consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is more needed today than ever,” he said.

“When we witness how the evil of atheistic materialism, which has its roots in Russia, directs in a radical way the government of the People’s Republic of China, we recognize that the great evil of communism must be healed at its roots through the consecration of Russia, as Our Lady has directed.”

“Recognizing the necessity of a total conversion from atheistic materialism and communism to Christ, the call of Our Lady of Fatima to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, in accord with her explicit instruction, remains urgent.” - LifeSiteNews

The source: Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité.*

What was the major concern of Fatima Crusaders?  The third part of the secret - perhaps even more so than the consecration of Russia.  Lucia said it was accomplished and accepted by heaven, Crusaders say it wasn't.  They also believe there is more to the third part of the secret.  They extrapolate these novelties from Frere Michel's research.  What follows is an excerpt from Frere Michel's 1985 address.  (Contradicting F. Michel's insistence that the secret be made public, I'll cite something Sr. Lucia always said about the hidden part: Sr. Lucia always insisted, "The part necessary for the people to know was already known since 1917.")

3. As long as this Secret is not revealed, the peace of the world will remain tragically threatened. I will explain myself. We believe strongly, that as long as Russia is not consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as God requires it to be, Russia will not be converted. And as long as she will not be converted, liberated from its atheistic and persecuting Bolshevism and from the grip of satanic forces which enslave it, the risk of a nuclear apocalypse will remain a terrible threat for the world. God has willed that the peace of the world depends, in our Century, on the ardent filial obedience of the Pope and of the bishops to the commands of His Most Holy Mother who appeared at Fatima. Now, this act of faith, of confident docility towards the Immaculate Mediatrix, through which our pastors shall carry out the consecration of Russia, presupposes also, and I shall even say first of all, the acceptance and the public disclosure of the Secret. It is a lesson of history: Since 1960, the deliberate, contemptuous concealment of the Secret of Our Lady has gone hand in hand with the stubborn refusal to precisely carry out with exactitude, Her other requests. On the other hand, the publication of the Third Secret will be the clear sign that the Church has officially recognized the Divine authenticity and importance of the Fatima Message in its entirety. One of the major obstacles to the consecration of Russia shall in that case be set aside! 

4. Finally and especially, for the welfare of the Church. While the Church, without a doubt, is going through the most serious crisis in her history, while heresies of all sorts are taught and propagated, poisoning everywhere the people of God, while her “self-destruction” continues without letup since 1960, and when the “smoke of satan” has penetrated into the holy place, to use some expressions of Paul VI, it would be a very great pity and certainly even criminal to continue to neglect, to disregard, to despise the salutary words of the Virgin Mary – concerning precisely this ‘crisis of faith’ that we are undergoing. Since the Queen of Heaven as early as 1917 had foretold the danger and since She had certainly indicated the real causes of it, and moreover, since She had proposed the effective remedies, is it not a terrible shame that these remedies intended to be publicly made known in 1960 have yet to be revealed to us? Is it not scandalous that for 25 years, millions of souls have been suffering in this “diabolical disorientation” and have been running the risk of being lost eternally without the pastors of the Church deigning to accept the extraordinary aid that Heaven is offering them? - This article was originally given as a talk by Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité at the Vatican Symposium on Fatima sponsored by the “International Fatima Rosary Crusade” on November 24, 1985. 

I can only hope Cardinal Burke and Archbishop Vigano will stop the the conspiracy theories and contradictory information regarding Fatima.

*Ed. note:  Frere Michel remains a reputable source, so long is that his speculative/deductive work is checked against what has been revealed by Sr. Lucia and the Holy See.  I want to share is own incredulity regarding false secrets revealed early on after the 1960 reading:

"Basing oneself on this reliable data, one can discard a whole series of false secrets that have been successively published for 25 years. I cite them all in my work and I demonstrate, for example, that the most famous of them, the “Secret” circulated in 1963 by the German magazine Neues Europa, and which has been ceaselessly reprinted in innumerable magazines, is a fake.2 There are in this text, several monstrous errors which prove this sufficiently. Moreover, although it is a matter, we are told, of simple “extracts” of the real Secret, these “extracts” are already at least four times too long to fit on the sheet of paper on which Lucy wrote down the whole of the Third Secret." -ibid

Trump's supporters.

THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Sadly, our Lamestream Media is TOTALLY CORRUPT! - Trump tweet

I'm sure everyone has seen reports on this story - the lockdown protests.  Some of the behavior exhibited by protesters, has been threatening and intimidating.  In Michigan some have shown up with guns and militia gear.  In Minnesota the Governor's residence was littered today.  President Trump calls them 'good people' and no doubt some of them are.  Yet he praises the worst behavior and stirs up more anger, dismissing journalists he sees as reporting 'fake news' as 'not essential.'  Trump admits on Twitter that his supporters, especially the 'orange shirts'  online, are his best campaign people.  (Wish I had the actual tweet.)  They are free and they are being used by Trump. 

He thrives on social media propaganda - that's clearly his strategy - he stirs up his supporters.  He publishes numerous tweets per day, using inflammatory language similar to right-wing, radio talk-how hosts.  He tries to silence MSM and replace it with unverifiable claims on social media, supported by his base, who organize on social media.  Fox and friends is his network.  Nothing new, I know.  I also know it's free speech.  But social media is his machine, and he is using people he would otherwise despise.  As Howard Stern affirmed, “The people Trump despises most, love him the most.”

Stern went on to say that Trump would be “disgusted” by the MAGA crew. “Go to Mar-a-Lago, see if there is any people who look like you,” he said. “I’m talking to you in the audience.” - Source

(My apologies to friends and others of good will, who support Trump.)

Conspiracy thinking in America.

“Nonsense is nonsense but the history of nonsense is scholarship.” - Saul Lieberman*

In an Atlantic piece, The Conspiracy Theorists Are Winning, by Jeffrey Goldberg, the author explores the growing influence of conspiracy theories in American politics.  Goldberg writes:

I had spent years in the Middle East listening to complicated nonsense, and I was familiar with the long and dismal history of Russian conspiracy-mongering. It was always a relief to know that in the United States, conspiracism was usually—not always, but usually—a marginal phenomenon. Men like Alex Jones were more often than not a source of bemusement, not a cause for fear. Healthy societies develop antibodies to protect themselves from fantastical thinking, and America, democratic, free, and transparent, was a healthy society. I was wrong, of course. - Goldberg

I've been running into more and more young people - at the store and elsewhere, who are convinced MSM does nothing but fake news. They place their trust in Trump and what the White House tells the country. I have started to wonder if the disinformation campaign coming from the White House is a deliberate propaganda machine, as was that operated by Goebbels in Nazi Germany? Trump loves conspiracy theories, as Goldberg notes:

"Trump does not defend our democracy from the ruinous consequences of conspiracy thinking. Instead, he embraces such thinking. A conspiracy theory—birtherism—was his pathway to power, and, in office, he warns of the threat of the “deep state” with the ferocity of a QAnon disciple. He has even begun to question the official coronavirus death toll, which he sees as evidence of a dark plot against him. How is he different from Alex Jones, from the conspiracy manufacturers of Russia and the Middle East?

He lives in the White House. That is one main difference." - Goldberg

Conspiracy theory as propaganda.

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist myself ... For a longtime now, I've attributed the blame-game played by the administration, pretty much to Trump alone, with some help from his staff of course. It just seemed like ordinary dissimulation tactics - political double-speak. Until now. It strikes me as a deliberate strategy - and not just dumb mistakes. I hate giving Trump credit for intelligence - but there seems to be a growing, recognizable effect happening across the country. After Kushner's remark a few days ago about pushing back the election, I wouldn't be surprised if the the administration attempts to do just that.

Trump does not defend our democracy from the ruinous consequences of conspiracy thinking. Instead, he embraces such thinking. - Godlberg

My apologies to my Catholic friends who support Trump, but the "consequences of conspiracy thinking" is indeed ruinous. Catholics need to be aware of this more than anyone else, since many can find themselves influenced by Catholic private revelation and 'locutions from heaven'. Many times private revelation, and or the interpretation of the message, goes hand in hand with conspiracy theories.

The apparition circuit has often acted as a sort of conduit for conspiracy theories. Especially today, with the opposition to Pope Francis and the Ordinary Form of Mass, not to mention the recent letter from Archbishop Vigano. Vigano and his followers are pointing the finger at a left-wing, Socialist, Masonic conspiracy aimed at a Global takeover - a New World Order. They frequently refer to OL of Fatima to defend their position, suggesting previous Popes ignored Our Lady's directives. In doing so, they risk making themselves cooperators in the right-wing populist movement.

*The Lieberman quote is taken from Goldberg's article.  I find it especially interesting in reference to some of the Catholic conspiratorial thinking.  Even scholars can sometimes convey an impression of acceptance of the intentions of the purveyor of misinformation, while attempting to refute the more fantastical interpretations of an event, or message.

The Hermit of Loreto

An elderly Tom Zimmer sitting outside the Holy House.

Tom Zimmer

I'm sharing this story because I met Tom Zimmer, many years ago. I only realized after reading this story that he has died. He was an eccentric, and was known to receive Communion several times a day - since throughout the day, he attended every Mass he could.  Tom also knew about and pretty much followed nearly every apparition ever reported. He had a huge devotion to The Mother of All Nations, and Our Lady of the Roses - Bayside and San Damiano. Needless to say, I was skeptical about his spirituality. He took copious notes, his writing similar in style to that of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.  His printing extremely small, filling every space on a sheet of paper. He did this in a spirit of poverty. Though he could be a bit critical of the post-VII Church, he was devoted to the Ordinary Form and faithful to Catholic teaching in every way.

I met him in Garabandal, then later, at San Damiano, and then again in Rome. He was tall and very thin, and had thick black hair when I met him.  He looked gaunt and seemed to be fasting all the time.  Without boasting, he told me he originated the Pieta prayer book, but never accepted payment. His spiritual life was devotional, many rosaries, chaplets, litanies and novenas. He prayed without ceasing. He was an authentic soul, a genuine pilgrim, and a very gentle man - albeit eccentric. I do finally believe that he was a very holy man as well. The Capuchins seem to think so as well.

I'm genuinely sorry, if not ashamed, that I dismissed him as crazy or naive, just because his spirituality/devotion was expressed in response to reputed apparitions and locutions from Heaven, and his prayer seemed to be centered around so many devotions of popular piety.  Eccentrics, fools for Christ, however one describes men or women like Tom, they cling to Christ and Our Lady, and persevere to the end. Thank God for men like Tom who contradict the proud, the self-righteous, and the rigid.

(Edit note:) The claims he made about Trump are interesting, that's all.  If he made such a statement it isn't a testimony to Trump's personal holiness.  Indeed, he could be a bad man and yet under his watch, the U.S. could well return 'back to God' as Tom put it.  That said, as far as promonitions and locutions go, remember what St. John of the Cross said regarding them:

"[...] Souls are misled by imparting to God's locutions and revelations a literal interpretation, and interpretation according to the outer rind.  As has been explained, God's chief objective in conferring these revelations is to express and impart the elusive, spiritual meaning contained in the words.  This spiritual meaning is richer and more plentiful than the literal meaning and transcends those limits."[...] "Anyone bound to the letter, locution, form, or apprehensible figure cannot avoid serious error and will later become confused for having been led by the literal sense and not having allowed for the spiritual meaning which is divested of the literal sense.  ('The letter kills, the spirit gives life' - 2 Cor. 3:6)" - Read St. John of the Cross, The Ascent, Bk II, Chapter 18 and 19

The Story about Zimmer:

[I] spoke with Fr. Giuseppe Santarelli, who has been in Loreto for decades and would surely know more.

 I knew Fr. Santarelli to be one of the more erudite and learned friars in Loreto. He works as the director of the “Congregazione Universale della Santa Casa” which promotes devotion to the Holy House and publishes a magazine, among other things. So I popped in and introduced myself.

I immediately sensed that Fr. Santarelli, not much taller than five feet, was a kindly gentleman. I told him that I was there to inquire about an American “penitent” who lived in Loreto back in the 1990s and prayed frequently in the Holy House. 

Fr. Santarelli cut me off, “Ah sì, Thomas Zimmer si chiamava... certo che mi ricordo...” (“Ah yes, Thomas Zimmer was his name, of course I remember him...”). He went on to say that everyone in Loreto knew of him. 

I told him about the “premonition” Tom had made about Donald Trump and that a video of an American priest discussing it had just gone viral on the internet. Fr. Santarelli just smiled and added that he did not know anything about that, but that him making such a prophecy was perfectly in character. I asked him what he knew about Thomas.

He said Tom was in Loreto for about ten years, he was very pious and devoted, he went to Mass every opportunity he could, he was constantly in prayer, he spoke fluent Italian and possibly other languages, and the friars held him in high regard. The only issue that any friars may have had with him is that he received Communion more than twice daily, and they asked him to refrain from doing so. He said that he knew Tom had gone back to the US before he died. He didn’t recall exactly, but he thought somewhere around 2008.
He said that the basilica had received word of his death and they had a record of it. He took me into another room where there were some archives and pulled out a ledger or two, but could not find the document he was looking for. 

He then said that he had a photo of Tom, and he pulled out a hardbound book from a different shelf. It was a type of album. In it, Tom Zimmer can be seen frail and hunched over leaning on a cane sitting in front of the Holy House. He let me take a picture of it. - Tom Zimmer, Hermit of Loreto

A glimmer of hope.

Amazing Grace, Honoré Sharrer

I was surprised by an artist today.

Actually, an old schoolmate contacted me on FB.  I remembered her from art class.  We weren't friends, but I recall her student work and admired her technique.  She was rather aloof, she said 'withdrawn' due to PTSD at the time.  Most likely only diagnosed until later in life.  She apologized for ignoring me, but I never perceived her solitary concentration on her work as anything more than an 'artist at work'.  She was especially talented and her work was very detailed. 

Later in the day, I received an email from an auction house for a fine art sale.  I came upon an intriguing work by a female artist I was unfamiliar with, Honoré Sharrer.  The one piece I saw reminded me of my own work.  I had never heard of her before.  I especially liked her work, thinking to myself, 'I need to go back to painting.'

I noted on FB: "I need to start painting again - this has been a very long, difficult year - I can't wait for things to get better. I have to work through them."

It seems to me time is short - I need to work on my project.  No matter how much my thoughts reproach me.  Some days it is very difficult.  Purifying trials are necessary for humility - I think any artist, like the saint, needs to be plunged into nothingness, as it were ... to experience a sense of their own powerlessness.  To no longer seek to please men ... to be liberated from the opinion of men.

Yet there remains a sense of purpose within, an irresistible attraction.

I hope.

Pope Francis asks Our Lady of Fatima for an end to the pandemic.

“In our prayers we ask God, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for peace for the world, the end of the pandemic, the spirit of penance and our conversion,” Francis said at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. - Crux

It is good to keep in mind that the authentic interpretation of the message of Fatima rests with the Church.  For many decades, many sources have used private interpretations of the message and secret of Fatima to advance their own agenda - especially in opposition to the Popes and Vatican II.  Not a few are recognized by their inclination to sensationalize the message with conspiracy-theories concerning apostasy and chastisement fears.  It is perhaps the chief reason so many people dismiss the Fatima devotion, including the message and associations promoting it, due to a sort of  'right-wing cult' effect.  

Fatima is not over by any means. St. John Paul II declared the message is as relevant in our time as it was in 1917. Pope Benedict XVI also intimated as much. In the texts connected with the CDF's interpretation of the third secret, he said something to the effect, "though it seems these things have been fulfilled..." likewise, while at Fatima, the Holy Father said it was a mistake to believe the 'mission' of Fatima was complete.

What we add to these sayings, how we personally interpret the texts and visions is mere speculation - often based or reinforced by dubious revelations or sayings attributed to the Pope himself - as was done with what St. John Paul II was alleged to have said at Fulda regarding the third secret.

Many sensationalize the messages and apparitions in and through private interpretation and speculation. To overlay private revelations and prophecy onto Scripture is often misleading and can be a source of greater confusion. Though the imagery may appear to fit and events seem to coincide, we cannot of ourselves determine the meaning. That is always the responsibility of the Holy See.

As any good Carmelite, and much like her holy mother in religion, St. Teresa of Jesus, Sr. Lucia was and is 'a daughter of the Church' - she submitted her writings to the discernment of the Holy See. The Holy See has faithfully documented the message, as well as interpreted Sr. Lucia's account here: The Message of Fatima.

Today Pope Francis invokes Our Lady of Fatima, praying for an end to the pandemic through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Pope Francis of course, entrusted himself to Our Lady of Fatima at the beginning of his pontificate.  In 2017 he visited Fatima and canonized the two seers, Jacinta and Francisco.  

Ignore the Fatimists, do not listen to the cult surrounding the false prophets who deform and misrepresent Our Lady's message from heaven.

Remember, the Holy Father, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is indeed at the center of the message and secret of Fatima; the Mother of God directs us always to Christ, and does not act outside the Church - the Holy Father is Christ's vicar entrusted to guide the Church by Christ himself. Our Lady is Mother of the Church. She cannot and will not go against the Church.

"Dear pilgrims, we have a Mother. Clinging to her like children, we live in the hope that rests on Jesus." - Pope Francis

Archbishop Vigano’s Appeal Was Sharply Criticised by German Bishops

Thank God someone is responding to Vigano's growing fanaticism.

Vigano has so gone off the rails - if his followers-supporters do not recognize this fact, then they too are on the road to perdition - to use their private-revelation-style terminology.

Archbishop Vigano and his followers are pointing the finger at a left-wing, Socialist, Masonic conspiracy aimed at a Global takeover - a New World Order. The Vigano letter has a 'pernicious' tone, if you will.  It seemed to me it isn't that far off from referencing the dandy of conspiratorial, fabricated tropes: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In fact, surfing with the remote, I happened upon an Evangelical-type religious talk show, wherein  the quests were in process of discussing just that - and not in an objective way.

I'm grateful the German Bishops have rejected the COVID-19 conspiracy, laid out by Vigano.  Vigano has recently demonstrated his ability to spread disinformation and confusion, relying upon conspiracy theories and 'secrets' which are without credence, except in the right wing circles he seems to be accepted by.  Don't fall for their conspiracy theories - religious or secular in origin. Especially be wary of religious leaders who rely on dubious private revelation, old conspiratorial tropes sparking fear and distrust.  This stuff only leads to scapegoating cultural groups of people.

German Bishops Response

The German Bishops recently admitted they “made themselves complicit” in Nazi crimes in and through their support of "soldiers and the regime", albeit rejecting any agreement with Hitler's racist ideology. (Story here.)  Fortunately, their position on the Vigano statement demonstrates their eagerness not to make the same mistake in this crisis. 

Vigano’s appeal was sharply criticised on Facebook by the vicar general of Essen, Fr Klaus Pfeffer. “I am simply speechless as to what is being spread here about the Church and Christianity: crude conspiracy theories without facts or proof together with a right-wing populist militant rhetoric which sounds very frightening.”

His bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, recalled on Facebook at the weekend, that the Church could contribute to overcoming the pandemic by “practising solidarity as a clear sign of its commitment to the common good and to social justice."

That was exactly the opposite of the position taken by “the populists and other conspiracy theoreticians” and it was the Church’s duty clearly to contradict such theories “irrespective of who formulates them”, Overbeck said.

In an official statement Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg said he fully agreed with the statement by the conference president Bätzing.

Bishop Gebhard Fürstof Rottenburg-Stuttgart tweeted: “Whosoever reinterprets the efforts of politicians to save human lives from the pandemic into a dubious world conspiracy, is playing with fire.” - Source