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

Conspiracy Theories spreading in time of pandemic

Political-religious confusion fueling the proliferation.

It's almost impossible to keep up - unless you're on FB and Twitter.  Or, listen to the radio.

I don't listen to the radio, not even Catholic radio - which appears to be just as tainted by conspiracy theories and fake news as talk shows by political pundits.

I was reading Kevin Symonds' second installment concerning Taylor Marshall's book Infiltration.  A radio show was mentioned in the footnotes as a reference for the claim that Cardinal Baggio was a Freemason.  I don't even know who Fr. Charles Murr, Jesse Romero and Terry Barber are.  I didn't listen to the program, but the Baggio claims have been around a long time.  The Holy See has never, to my knowledge, confirmed these claims.  It very much echoes the Necedah/Bayside/San Damiano 'revelations' -  I realized that I'm wasting my time with these issues.  I'm not an academic, so no one cares what I think.

I'm just amazed at how these tropes have survived over the decades.  I have no doubt Masons have influenced such stories, to discredit the Catholic Church and create division, and so on.  (I came across a statement on another blog whose editor republished the first article by Symonds, stating: "Well, Paul VI knew he was a Freemason. Can we retire the New Mass now?"  That's pretty much the point of the conspiracy theories and attacks against Pope Francis, from Lefebvrist circles and others.)

Conspiracy theory in the making.

Nevertheless, it seems more likely the authors of the many conspiracy theories, including naming names of clergy who may or may not be members of a Masonic Lodge, could very well be Masons themselves, or members a political movement out to discredit the Church.  The political connections of clerical figures has always incited intrigue and suspicion, throughout history.  A modern day example is clearly the Vigano conspiracy against Pope Francis.  Vigano's recent 'Open Letter' claimed Cardinal Sarah as a signatory, although Sarah denied it, explaining:

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments, tweeted: “I share on a personal basis some of the questions or concerns raised with regard to restrictions on fundamental freedoms, but I have not signed this petition.” 

“A cardinal prefect of the Roman Curia must observe a certain reserve in political matters, Sarah wrote in another tweet, “so I explicitly asked this morning the authors of the petition titled ‘for the Church and for the world’ not to mention me.” - CNA

This is conspiracy theory in the making, how it gets played out will be interesting. Oddly enough, it is the second time in recent months that poor Cardinal Sarah has come under suspicion for dissembling facts.

Having said all of that, I think I should try to let this stuff go - especially now when more and more people insist upon clinging to whatever narrative they find security in.  I often think of the deceptions which were able to mislead 'even the elect - if that were possible'.  Thinking here of St. Therese and St. JPII.

The Leo Taxil, Diana Vaughn story.

Therese and her community had been deceived by the conversion story of Diana Vaughan, an impostor whose true persona was the anti-Catholic con-artist Leo Taxil... The realization of which led to Therese writing in her memoirs, "I was unable to believe there were really impious people who had no faith... [but] Jesus made me feel that there were really souls who have no faith, and who, through the abuse of grace, lost this precious treasure, the source of the only real and pure joy."
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Leo Taxil of course was a contemporary of St. Therese of Lisieux, who for a time had been taken in by his scam. Taxil had stunned European society with his conversion from Free-Masonry to Catholicism, and subsequent pamphlets detailing the evil Satanic sect within Masonry. (Read more.) Later he invented a persona named Dianah Vaughan, whom he claimed also converted, with startling details of the diabolic cult. Taxil, an anti-clerical free-thinker from the start, delighted in deceiving and mocking the Catholic Church; the Lisieux Carmel and as I mentioned, St. Therese just happened to be amongst those duped. Yet it did not disturb her peace, rather it lead her to an even deeper understanding of her vocation.
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Needless to say, the deception neither did harm to the Carmel or the Catholic Church, although in a way, it demonstrates to some extent how even the elect can be fooled - if possible, and only for a time. One thinks of the founder of the Legion, Marcel Maciel, and his double life; an elaborate pretense which fooled even the Pope. Unlike Taxil, it doesn't appear that Maciel was attempting to mock or destroy the Church, nor did he ever declare himself an enemy of the Church; despite that, his motivation and actions remain somewhat unexplainable.

Sr. Lucia of Fatima once wrote, diabolic delusion has swept the world, and we have witnessed over and over again how many can be easily deceived and seduced. We need to be prayerfully vigilant.
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“Holy Spirit, inspire me.Love of God consume me.Along the true road, lead me.Mary, my good mother, look down upon me.With Jesus, bless me.From all evil, all illusion, all danger, preserve me.”- St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, OCD

Bugnini Conspiracy Theories ... in time of pandemic

New Evidence on the Freemasonic Membership of Annibale Bugnini

To be sure, I am no expert on these issues - I'm just old, and I've heard the rumors and gossip regarding Masonic/Communist infiltration of the Vatican since I returned to the sacraments in 1972.  I've read, I've heard, just about everything attempting to discredit the Popes, Vatican II, the liturgical reforms, and so on.  I know priests entirely convinced by these stories, which many lay people use to condemn the Novus Ordo, and even call into question the validity of the sacraments since the Council... not excluding Holy Orders.  Pull on that thread, and you could just about invalidate everything in the post-counciliar Church.  (Hyperbole of course.)

That said, a former FB friend, Kevin Symonds, wrote an interesting article on Taylor Marshall's book, Infiltration, specifically regarding the claims that Archbishop Bugnini was a Mason.  The author did extenssive research, which shed more light upon the speculation that Bugnini may have been a Mason.  Rorate Caeli published the review, calling it a bombshell - because it named names.  After reading the article for a second and third time, I was confused.

First, I was surprised at my Symonds findings, because they appeared to supply the documentation lacking in Marshall’s book. Symonds findings are consistent with the case against Bugnini – which despite his research, e.g. naming names, remains a case based upon hearsay and circumstantial evidence.  To my way of thinking, Masons could have planted information, accused clergy of being members, furthering an agenda, and so on.  In my opinion, it is similar to someone believing what a demon says during an exorcism - demons lie. Human beings get the facts wrong - groups bent on destroying the Church, spread misinformation.  I may be wrong, but the evidence also contradicts itself, as Symonds points out, providing specific dates, and so on. The followers of these theories, and specifically Marshall's supporters, see this portion of Symons work as a confirmation of their long-held conspiracy theories concerning infiltration.

It is disconcerting to me because the liturgical reforms of VII and specifically the Novus Ordo, is once again obfuscated by doubt and suspicion that the rite is corrupt, invalid and Masonic. It’s especially sad to me that Peter Kwasniewski picked this up and published it as a ‘bombshell’ revelation, naming names. 

Rather than 'infiltration' - conspiracy theories may be the more effective disruptive agent.

Conspiracy theories regarding infiltration, as wacky as they can be at times, may carry an element of truth to them - yet every human endeavor is always prone to corruption, and as Benedict XVI has often pointed out, 'the Lord wins in the end.'  I believe many latch onto these stories to restore a sense of order in confusing times, to offer a sense of stability in traditionalist values when modern life seems to progress too quickly to assimulate.  In the case of serious researchers, even they can be tainted by the 'conspiratorial spirit'.  Religious people frequently lack the objectivity necessary to discern real data and facts from fiction.  The more tempermental the researcher, convinced of his own qualifications and scholarship, the more likely his researched can be tainted by his own bias.

So what do I do?  I checked on these issues online, in an attempt to locate the source of these stories in the apocryphal literature that is available.  Going forward, Kevin Symonds research will no doubt be referenced - I hope for the good.  Interestingly enough, I came across an old Crisis article by Sandra Meisel concerning the so-called murder of John Paul I*, as well as a discourse regarding the P-2 Lodge in Italy - the same lodge mentioned in the Rorate piece.  I'll close with an excerpt, and leave it at that.

The P-2 Lodge

The speed with which P-2 was growing and rumors of its political extremism led regional Masonic leaders to ask for its suppression. But P-2 continued despite its official closing and is believed to have been behind two terrorist bombings — blamed on the Left — that claimed a hundred lives. Using its intelligence contacts, P-2 may have also prevented the rescue of Christian Democrat leader Aldo Moro, who was kidnapped and killed by Red Brigade Communists in 1978. 

A Mason expelled from the craft for objecting to P-2’s activities gave damaging data about the lodge to Roman authorities. On March 17, 1981, the finance police raided the office of its venerable master, Licio Gelli, and found its membership list. Among P-2’s 962 members were 43 members of parliament, 43 generals, eight admirals (including all the heads of the Italian armed services), all the heads of the state security services, sundry government officials, police chiefs, businessmen, media stars, and journalists (including the editor and publisher of a major Italian newspaper). Michele Sindona and Roberto Calvi, key players in the Vatican Bank scandal, were also members. P-2 was finally closed for good, but its members scattered to other lodges and continued their baleful effect on Italian public life. 

Were any Catholic clerics in P-2? Martin Short names none in his excellent study of Freemasonry, Inside the Brotherhood. Nor were any clerics placed in P-2 by Shroud of Secrecy, a sensational — and implausible — compendium of clerical gossip (although the book imagines that Masons are omnipresent within the Holy See). Witnesses interviewed by John Cornwell, including a veteran FBI agent long-stationed in Italy, denied any Masonic presence in the Vatican. 

But belief in “the Great Vatican Lodge” is still a staple in some circles. In 1976 a radical traditionalist group called the International Committee for Defense of Catholic Tradition published a list of prominent Masons in the Vatican. An overlapping list of 121 supposed Masonic prelates was published in 1978 by muckraking Italian journalist and P-2 member Mino Pecorelli of L’Osservatore Politico. Among the high-ranking officials he accused of secret membership in the craft were: Sebastiano Cardinal Baggio (head of the Congregation of Bishops), Agostino Cardinal Casaroli (Vatican foreign minister), Jean Cardinal Villot (Vatican secretary of state), and Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, head of the Vatican Bank. Pecorelli was shot to death in 1979, possibly in retaliation for trying to blackmail Gelli. Yallop believes that both true and false accusations are mingled in the lists. - Crisis

* "The first conspiracy book, Jean-Jacques Thierry’s La Vraie Mort de Jean Paul Ier (1983), emerged from Lefebvrist circles. It not only accused Jean Cardinal Villot of the murder but of also having substituted a double for Pope Paul VI. Other sensational — and conflicting — theories continued to appear during the 1980s… John Paul I was killed by the KGB… No, the KGB was spreading false rumors to make it look like a killing… No, it was the CIA, which wanted to make room for its candidate, John Paul II." - Meisel

Spiritual Communion in time of pandemic.

The miraculous Communion of Blessed Imelda Lambertini. (1322-1333).

Nine year old Bl. Imelda fervently desired to receive Holy Communion, although Communion was not permitted until the age of 12, in her day.  In fact it remained the law until the 20th century.  Before Pius X, daily Communion was uncommon even for religious. 

Bl. Imelda is patron saint for first communicants, but she could well be the patron of spiritual communion, since her desire to receiver the hidden Jesus, was so great, the sacred Host appeared to hover as a flame above her, which she adored with love and longing to receive.  A priest was summoned, and when he saw the miracle, he immediately administered the sacrament.  The young Imelda received in ecstasy, and the community withdrew, to allow her privacy.  When they returned, they discovered the little girl had died - died of love.  Her feast day is May 12.

May Bl. Imelda pray for us, that our loving desire for the Blessed Sacrament may be so inflamed, Our Lord cannot resist to come spiritually into our souls in spiritual communion, effecting within us the prayer of deepest recollection within the tabernacle of our hearts, united to His, within the Immaculate Heart of His Mother.

The Presence of God in time of pandemic.

Where there is no love, put love - and you will find love. - John of the Cross

I began the day full of thanksgiving... and joy filled my heart.  It was a joy to pray over the readings and psalms of the day's Mass.  To experience that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  God seem to want to his presence to be recognized in every circumstance, every situation.  The further it seems we are from him, the closer he is.  I'll share here what I wrote on FB a few minutes ago:

If you can, try to thank God - for everything. I can't begin to tell what peace and joy is infused into the soul of one who does that. Even when you can't get to Mass or communion - nothing can separate us from His love. In these times, I don't know why, but I feel very close to Betsie Ten Boom. Here's an anecdote by her sister Corrie, from their experience in the camps.

"Shortly after they arrived at Ravensbruck, Betsie insisted that she and Corrie do as the Scriptures said and thank God for everything about the barracks they found themselves in. Corrie wondered what there was to be thankful for. Betsie started listing things:
Being assigned to the same barracks. Corrie agreed. 

The Bible Corrie was holding in her hands. Corrie agreed. (By the grace of God – a miracle, one might say — they had been able to smuggle a Bible into both concentration camps. By the time they arrived at Ravensbruck, they had read through the entire New Testament twice and were working on their third time through.) 

The extreme overcrowding which allowed for more women to have an opportunity to share in the daily devotionals that she and Corrie always tried to have. Corrie agreed, but reluctantly. 

For the fleas. Uh, no. Corrie wasn’t going to do that. 

“Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.” 

“Give thanks in all circumstances,” [Betsie] quoted. “It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances’. Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.” 

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong. 

Time went on, and Betsie and Corrie began holding nightly “worship services” in the back of the barracks. According to Corrie: 

They were services like no others, these times in Barracks 28. A single meeting might include a recital of the Magnificat in Latin by a group of Roman Catholics, a whispered hymn by some Lutherans, and a sotto-voce chant by Eastern Orthodox women. With each moment, the crowd around us would swell, packing the nearby platforms, hanging over the edges, until the high structures groaned and swayed. 

At last either Betsie or I would open the Bible. Because only the Hollanders could understand the Dutch text, we would translate aloud in German. And then we would hear the life-giving words passed back along the aisles in French, Polish, Russian, Czech, back into Dutch. They were little previews of heaven, these evenings beneath the lightbulb. 

Despite making no attempt to hide what they were doing, no one tried to stop the services. In fact, there was almost no supervision in the barrack at all. Hmmm.
One day, Corrie came back from work to find Betsie looking very happy. (They were assigned to different workgroups.) Corrie asked her why. 

“You know we’ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,” [Betsie] said. “Well – I’ve found out.” 

That afternoon there’d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it. 

“But she wouldn’t.” [Betsie said.] “She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?” 

Why? 

“Because of the fleas!” Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice. “That’s what she said, ‘That place is crawling with fleas!'” 

Corrie continued: 

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie’s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for." - Source

There two other 'sister saints' I admire - S. Therese and her sister Celine - two more lights who illumine the way - loving God in every circumstance.

Thoughts in time of pandemic.

“You would be very ashamed if you knew what the experiences you call setbacks, upheavals, pointless disturbances, and tedious annoyances really are. You would realize that your complaints about them are nothing more nor less than blasphemies - though that never occurs to you. Nothing happens to you except by the will of God, and yet [God's] beloved children curse it because they do not know it for what it is.” - Jean-Pierre de Caussade

Divine Mercy Sunday in time of pandemic.

I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. (Diary 1109)

As we know, Christ is greater than the sacraments, and nothing can separate us from his love and mercy.  Therefore, even though we cannot attend Mass or receive the sacraments at this time, this feast has been established for the Second Sunday of Easter. In establishing the feast, the Church has decreed that a plenary indulgence can be received under the usual conditions; confession, communion, prayers for the Holy Father: Pater, Ave, Creed, and detachment from sin, etc. Click here for details.  Yet when impeded, the promises of Christ remain in effect, and the great pardon may still be obtained, as I will explain later.

In the revelations to St. Faustina, our Lord said this:

On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary 699) - Source

It is actually God's Mercy that conveys the necessary supernatural sorrow and resolution to amend.

It is generally understood that the confession of sin may take place any time during Lent, or as in the requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence, 8 days before or after the feast. Many people make a big deal about such "toties quoties" indulgences claiming that one has to be completely free of the least attachment to even venial sin in order to gain the indulgence or pardon. Good enough - but if that is the case, then you are probably already dead - so don't get too scrupulous over it. Trust in the Divine Mercy and never place limits upon God.

In other words - do not let anything stop you from running to the Divine Mercy with confidence and love. Our Lord himself established the feast to attract the greatest sinners, and even the not so great - the lukewarm, the fallen away, the sanctimonious, the CINO, the poor, the rich, the mentally ill, anyone!  Trust is the key. One does not have to be perfect - far from it.

For those who cannot go to church or the seriously ill. 

In addition, sailors working on the vast expanse of the sea; the countless brothers and sisters, whom the disasters of war, political events, local violence and other such causes have been driven out of their homeland; the sick and those who nurse them, and all who for a just cause cannot leave their homes or who carry out an activity for the community which cannot be postponed, may obtain a plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday, if totally detesting any sin, as has been said before, and with the intention of fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual conditions, will recite the Our Father and the Creed before a devout image of Our Merciful Lord Jesus and, in addition, pray a devout invocation to the Merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you). 

If it is impossible that people do even this, on the same day they may obtain the Plenary Indulgence if with a spiritual intention they are united with those carrying out the prescribed practice for obtaining the Indulgence in the usual way and offer to the Merciful Lord a prayer and the sufferings of their illness and the difficulties of their lives, with the resolution to accomplish as soon as possible the three conditions prescribed to obtain the plenary indulgence. - Source

From the Apostolic Penitentiary on March 20, 2020.

"New Plenary Indulgence:  Because of the pandemic, anyone who, with “the will to fulfil the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father's intentions), as soon as possible,” recites the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the intention “to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself,” can receive a plenary indulgence each day." - Read more here.

The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted,

his compassion is not spent;

They are renewed each morning—

great is your faithfulness!

The LORD is my portion, I tell myself,

therefore I will hope in him.l

The LORD is good to those who trust in him,

to the one that seeks him;

It is good to hope in silence

for the LORD’s deliverance. - Lamentations 3

COVID-19: Pray for the dying.

Divine Mercy has broken through all barriers.

I was stunned and disappointed this morning when a friend on FB informed me that her son, a priest, was unable to get into the hospital to annoint a dying patient.  He had been trained for the correct use of PPE and was ready to go.  Hospital staff refused him entrance.  The priest was saddened and deeply concerned.  Her comment on one of my posts moved me deeply.

I have been praying the Divine Mercy novena for all of those suffering from COVID-19, and most especially the dying.  I hope to pray even more for the dying - especially those dying without access to the sacraments.

I have learned over the years, from monks and nuns, that our prayer is not bound by time and space.  Like the saints, we too can ask our angels to go here or there.  In extreme cases, I ask Our Lady, Queen of Angels to permit my angel to attend to those I pray for.  I have learned to always unite my prayer with others - the entire Church, to be correct.  S. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross wrote that all prayer is united to the prayer of the Church.  I believe it is especially so when we unite our prayer to the silent, loving action of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist - while all our intentions and actions are bound to the offering of Himself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  My point here is to explain that we can be at the side of the dying in spirit, through prayer and uniting our prayer to Christ.  Catherine of Siena wrote something of how even while we are alone, we can recollect senses, our soul and become as it were, that 2 or 3 gathered, which Christ promised to be in the midest of.  Hence we are not alone in our prayer and its reach is not limited.  It's best not over think it, just believe the Holy Spirit makes our every prayer efficacious.  (Remember I'm not a theologian, so my abilities to explain this are limited.)

The point is to pray for the dying - those most in need of mercy, as Our Lady taught at Fatima, recommending the addition of that particular prayer to the rosary.  Likewise, our Lord promised a special efficacy to the prayers of the DM chaplet - especially in the presence of the dying.  (Which is why I placed so much emphasis on how we can be present in spirit to those dying alone, without the sacraments.)  I will continue to pray the rosary and the chaplet for the dying, even after Divine Mercy Sunday - I hope many people will do so.

If we can't perform works of charity, or visit the sick, we can pray and offer spiritual care, depending solely upon the merits of our Lord who is greater than the sacraments.  As St. Paul tells us, His power at work in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Links: 
The Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Prayers for the Dying