non veni pacem

(It is best to consider Divine Mercy when lamenting past sins, and best to consider Divine Justice when navigating present battles and dangers yet to come. -nvp)

Our present feast-days are only the shadow of those we are expecting, and, though year after year we are celebrating them, we are longing for those never-ending days in the kingdom of God. Renew in your hearts the desire of the eternal festivities by the celebration of the annual earthly festivals.

Let the happiness granted to us in the present time penetrate us in such a way that we continue sighing for the eternal happiness prepared for us in heaven, and ardently desired by us on earth. Prepare yourselves for that eternal rest by amending your lives and practising virtue and holiness. Never forget that He Who in His Resurrection was meekness itself, will be terrible when coming to judge the world.

On this awful day He will appear surrounded by Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Principalities and Powers.

On that day heaven and earth and all the elements, being the ministers of His wrath, will be in a general conflagration.

May this terrible Judge be ever present to the eyes of your mind, that, penetrated by a salutary fear of His severe judgment, that is to be held, you may confidently expect His coming.

Let us fear now, that we may be without fear then, and this fear will help us to avoid sin and work out our salvation. For I tell you that the more we are now afraid to rouse the anger of our Judge against us, the greater will be our confidence when we appear before Him at the end of the world.

-Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604),Basilica of St. John Lateran, 1st Sunday after Easter

There is more: https://wdtprs.com/2024/04/on-divine-mercy-sunday-a-sobering-thought-from-a-pope-about-that-terrible-day/

By “TYLER DURDEN”

“…since March 2023, the number of full-time workers has collapsed by 1.347 million while the number of part-time workers exploded by 1.888 million.

“There’s more. Regular readers are aware that all the job gains since 2018 have gone to immigrants, mostly illegal immigrants, something we spent last month’s jobs post discussing in detail. So what happened in March? It will come as no surprise that there was more of the same, and after the collapse in native-born workers in the last three months when nearly 2.5 million native-born workers lost their jobs, March saw some pick up, and 929K native-born workers were added. Meanwhile, after last month’s record increase in foreign-born workers, in March illegal immigrants added another 112K jobs, pushing the total number of foreign-born workers to a new record high of 31.114 million.

“Said otherwise, not only has all job creation in the past 6 years has been exclusively for foreign-born workers…

“… but there has been zero job-creation for native born workers since July 2018! This, as we have been saying for months now, is a huge issue – especially at a time of an illegal alien flood at the southwest border…

“… and is about to become a huge political scandal, because once the inevitable recession finally hits, there will be millions of furious unemployed Americans demanding a more accurate explanation for what happened…”

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/behind-todays-stellar-jobs-print-it-was-literally-all-part-time-jobs-and-illegals

(I have been meaning to write up the New Madrid fault/quakes of 1811-12, and boy am I glad I never did get to it. Here is Jeff Childers with more info than I ever knew. Including, that an eclipse also coincided with those quakes, which were said to have caused church steeple bells to ring a thousand miles away on the east coast. But that’s not all: There is a vaxx angle – several angles, in fact. Childers posted this substack an hour before the NJ quake hit, which was felt from Maine to NC. The best thing about his essay is that he makes no predictions; he simply states facts. Wildly coincidental facts. Please click over and subscribe. -nvp)

X MARKS THE SHOT

In which we tumble down the Great American Eclipse rabbit hole, finding at least one inexplicable element

(click over to substack to see the images – I couldn’t embed. -nvp)

To set the table, there is a third eclipse we haven’t mentioned yet. On December 14, 2020 — remember that date — a total solar eclipse passed across South America. Nothing particularly interesting to us lay in that eclipse’s path. Yawn. But then … in a mildly interesting coincidence, the date of the 2020 South American Eclipse happened to lie exactly at the midpoint of the two Great American Eclipses. Behold:

August 21, 2017 ←→ 1211 days ←→ December 14, 2020 ←→ 1211 days — April 8, 2024.

Huh. So that’s a little curious, right? But it gets much curiouser. On the same date as the middle eclipse — December 14, 2020 — two insanely significant things happened here in the United States. First, Joe Biden was certified as Resident by the Electoral College. So, there’s that bit of insanity. But that’s not even the big one.

Second, on December 14, 2020, exactly halfway between the two Great American Eclipses, and on the same day as the South American eclipse, nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first American outside of clinical trials to be vaccinated for covid-19. Sandra got Pfizer. But forget about Sandra. The point is, December 14, 2020 was also the vaccine’s release date.

So … the deadliest medical intervention and biggest manmade disaster in history started on the day of a total eclipse, and was perfectly bracketed on both sides of the calendar by total eclipses, eclipses that happen to make an “X” over the same country that produced that same disastrous intervention.

I’ll grant you, all of that is weird and wildly coincidental. But I don’t put much stock in numerology, or astrological coincidences, and I’m not supernatural about eclipses. Thus, given only the facts I’ve reported so far, I still probably would not have taken up the time this morning to write about the Pfizer triple-eclipse connection.

But then, one more domino dropped and that was it. It got even weirder.

Turns out, the first batches of Pfizer, including Nurse Sandra’s shot, were almost certainly produced in a Pfizer manufacturing facility located in Chesterfield, Missouri, which was one of Pfizer’s very first facilities that made the vaccine. Check this out: the Chesterfield, Missouri Pfizer plant was in or near 2017’s total eclipse path, and is also in or near 2024’s total eclipse path. In other words: the Pfizer shots, which were first deployed precisely halfway between the two Great American Eclipses on the calendar, were also made inside the paths of both of those Great American Eclipses. Meaning, right where they intersect at the “X”:

https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/x-marks-the-shot-friday-april-5-2024

(It’s the kind of lie that jumps out at you just from reading the headline. You know it is a lie from pure intuition. You know it is a lie, even though the women are playing at a 19,000 seat arena and the men are at a 63,000 seat football stadium. But liars gonna lie, so I pasted a little reality below the story. -nvp)

Average cost of women’s Final Four tickets is double the men’s

Ratzinger Decoded: The good, the bad, and the INVALID

Joseph Ratzinger’s Theology of Papacy and Church

Weekly Live Classes start Sunday April 7th, at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT and will run approximately 70-80 minutes. Q&A will follow for 10 minutes or more for those who can stay. I will suggest readings. No tests. No pressure. Content: Ages 13 and up. Recorded video link sent afterwards so you can watch on your own time! Join us this Lenten/Easter Season. (Projected duration 4 weeks)

ENROLL HERE

Originally posted April 19, 2022

Christ is truly risen! Best week of the year, folks. Don’t let the mundane creep in. Party must continue.

Pray for eyes to be opened. Mine, yours, your loved ones’. He is the opener of eyes, on His schedule. The fruit of the fourth sorrowful mystery is patience. This is primarily patience with yourself, so as not to become frustrated as you stumble along the uneven path toward sanctity. But it is also patience with others, and even patience with God. Think about it. Think about how patient He is with us, but how we demand immediate results from Him. Abandon yourself to the Divine Providence… the inventor of time is Himself the Timekeeper.

Yesterday’s Gospel had us on the road to Emmaus, on the very first Easter Monday. After their miraculous encounter with Christ as He consecrated the first post-resurrection Eucharist, the disciples immediately set out back to Jerusalem. Having traveled all day to Emmaus, they traveled all night back. So today’s Gospel is the immediate continuation of yesterday’s, taking place on the very first Easter Tuesday. As they are all gathered together, Jesus pops in for some fish. Because even though they had left everything behind in order to follow him, and had received more teaching directly from God than anyone else, “they yet believed not.”

They yet believed not.

Meditate on how this dynamic is at play in your life today. Happy Easter!

“By blood-sealed covenant, by prophetic utterances and figures, and by prescriptions for sacrificial worship, God tried to prepare His people to expect a Redeemer who would have to bleed and die. But they wanted only a glorious conqueror with a universal and endless reign. Even when Jesus appeared to the Eleven, who had received two and one-half years of special training and instruction, He found them confused and wondering. As a doctrine, Christ crucified is central to Christian life. In practice, is there not much insistence on a comfortable Christ, a Christ without wounds?“

https://tridentine-mass.blogspot.com/2022/04/easter-tuesday.html

GOSPEL Luke 24:36-47.
At that time, Now, whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them and saith to them: “Peace be to you. It is I: Fear not.” But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them: “Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.” And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and feet. But while they yet believed not and wondered for joy, he said: “Have you here any thing to eat?” And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them. And he said to them: “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me.” Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. And he said to them: “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead, the third day: And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, unto all nations.”

Blessed Easter Monday! Welcome to the Octave, one of the few they didn’t manage to suppress.

INTROIT Ex. 13:5, 9
The Lord has brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey, alleluia! so that the law of the Lord may ever be on your lips, alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 104:1. Praise the Lord and invoke his name; make His deeds known among the nations.

COLLECT
Your resurrection, O God, has brought healing to a sick world. Continue to shower from heaven gifts upon Your people that they may freely march forward to eternal life.

GRADUAL Ps. 117:24, 2
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Let Israel proclaim now that the Lord is good, that His mercy endures forever.

Be glad and rejoice, because God is in control. Despite signs to the contrary, He knows what He is doing, He is in charge. Rejoice and be glad. Keep His ways, and trust in the Lord.

And now for some Anglo Anglish choir.

“And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us: Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God. For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.” Hebrews 12:1-3

Truly He is risen, Alleluia!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Adapted from a post from APRIL 11, 2020

It is a great blessing to meditate on Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. Our Lord went there on this day to rescue the souls of the righteous, who were waiting in Limbo (not the place of eternal damnation, but a section of Hell nonetheless) for the redemptive act of Good Friday to take place.

The imagery of Hell is meant to be used as a tool; a deterrent. The actual horror of being separated from God, forever, by our own free choice, is something our intellect can barely grasp. The physical torments are but a proxy for the never ending sense of loss, and the pain of having made that personal choice, despite knowing better. Developing your relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to making right choices. He has told you what is important to Him, what hurts Him, and what He expects from you. He wants you to be with Him forever.

“For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us; that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with him.” 1 Thes 5:9-10

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,
et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
descendit ad infernos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis,
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,
sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,
remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem,
vitam aeternam.
Amen.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell; On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen

This is the Apostles’ Creed. It’s most commonly recited during the Rosary. Pious legend has it that each of the apostles contributed one the twelve articles of faith (represented by the twelve lines the creed is broken into). On the first Holy Saturday, the day Jesus descended into Hell, a real actual place, to rescue the just souls who had been waiting there in limbo for the coming of our Lord. Although they had died free from mortal sin, the gates of Heaven could not be opened to them without the redeeming sacrifice of the cross. So the day after the Crucifixion, Jesus went to free them.

Except, that’s not exactly accurate. To say that the gates of Heaven “could not” be opened prior to Christ’s redeeming sacrifice would be to place limits on God’s omnipotence. Time is a construct, and God is not bound by it. If He had so desired, He could have retroactively applied the merits of the cross to the righteous souls at the time of their earthly death, but He chose not to. Instead, He reserved the job to Himself to apply it “in person.”

Go ahead and picture yourself in the scene. Meditate on how hard it must have been for the righteous of antiquity to die in the state of grace, without ever knowing Christ. Think about how much easier we have it, with access to the fullness of Truth, the Barque, the Eucharist, the example of the saints. If the elect among the ancients could make it to the finish line, shouldn’t it be easy for us?

And yet.

The event has been stunningly depicted in iconography through the ages. Much of it is pretty graphic in terms of the furnishings of the place, and demons certainly do come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I’m reproducing a few tame examples here. Blessed Triduum to all.

Originally posted APRIL 19, 2019

The Agony of Jesus Christ at Gethsemane is noteworthy for its intensity. I’ve always believed that the intensity of the terror was not driven primarily by thoughts of His impending Passion and death, for He certainly was no coward, but rather by the knowledge that His sacrifice would be wasted by a multitude through hatred and indifference. His desire for reciprocation of the deep personal love He has for each of us was/is so intense, that the sense of loss over His beloved but damned sons and daughters caused his earthly physical body to sweat blood (Luke 22:44). His spoken desire of “let this chalice pass” in Matt 26:39,42 could be referring to the Crucifixion, as tradition holds, but it seems to me there is something more. After all, God willed for the world to be reconciled to himself through this very sacrifice, and Jesus IS God. The will of Jesus, in both His divine nature and His human nature, united in the Hypostatic Union, were never at odds with God the Father: For He and His Father are of the same Essence.

Just prior to this, upon entering the garden, He said, “My soul is sorrowful even unto death.” (Matt 26:38) Is He sorrowful because He is about to ransom humanity through His Cross and Resurrection? Or is He sorrowful because so many would choose to ignore it? His terror and pain, it seems to me, is out of His love for those who would be lost; lost loves, so to speak, in spite of His own unyielding love and sacrifice. I’m not a scripture scholar, but it seems worth meditating on, for the sake of our own souls.

A great exercise on Good Friday is to pick a Gospel and read it all the way through. It really doesn’t take that long. I am going to leave you with the seventh chapter of Matthew, the third part of the Sermon on the Mount.

Remember that the Sermon on the Mount takes place at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. After the infancy narrative ends with chapter two, the introduction of John the Baptist and the baptism of the Lord in chapter three, and the temptation in the desert at the beginning of chapter four, He gets right down to business. Upon hearing of John’s death, Jesus immediately withdrew to Capernaum to begin the Galilean Ministry, as foretold in Isaiah. Preaching His message of repentance (4:17), He chose his first disciples (4:18-22), and then began drawing large crowds (4:23-25), primarily through working miracles.

Now that He had everyone’s attention, it was time for the big reveal. The Sermon on the Mount begins with chapters five and six forming a sort of catechism, and the central theme is something like, “You all think you know what’s what? Well, I’m here to take it up a notch.” He goes on to explain a litany of sinful behavior, and how we’re so much more wretched then we even knew. But then we get to chapter seven, where He offers hope, through repentance, prayer, obedience, and love. He wants to be loved.

Enter ye in at the narrow gate, my friends. Blessed Pascal Triduum to all.

The Holy Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 7: The third part of the Sermon on the Mount:

[1] Judge not, that you may not be judged, [2] For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. [3] And why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye? [4] Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye? [5] Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

[6] Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you. [7] Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. [8] For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. [9]Or what man is there among you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone? [10] Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent?

[11] If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? [12] All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. [13] Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. [14] How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it! [15] Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

[16] By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. [19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

[21] Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. [24] Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock.

[26] And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. [28] And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at his doctrine.[29] For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes and Pharisees.