The first days whispering the rumor of the arrival of autumn, the evenings still long, but the stars peeking out while the dinner conversation is still at its peak.
An old favorite. It makes me wish that I could sing. Ah, for a Time Machine, just to visit, if only for a day and a night, this civilization, lost forever. May we live to see a restoration, better than even this.
This is a good prayer for anyone, but in particular for someone who has never prayed, been religious, or even believed in God, but wants to start. Don’t worry for now if you don’t really even understand what God is. He knows who He is, and if you say, “God”, as in the One Personal Deity who created and sustains the universe, He’ll know that you are talking to Him. He knows who He is. And He certainly knows exactly who you are.
It is eight words. Catholics who have actually been taught the faith will recognize it as an imperfect act of contrition. Like I said, it’s a start, and God can work with anything. It is also a prayer which He desperately, desperately wants to answer. He’s just waiting for you to simply say this to Him:
These eight words convery much. First, that one believes in God. Two, that one believes in hell. Three, that one believes that it is possible to end up in hell. Four, that one recognizes one might actually deserve to go to hell, or that one has sinned. Five, that one wants to not go to hell, which by deduction means that one does want to go to heaven. Six, that God is the Judge who will make the determination as to the fate of one’s eternal soul, which is why you are telling Him that you don’t want to go there and not the girl working the drive-thru window at Taco Bell.
If you get to where you’re fully comfortable with, “God, I don’t want to go to hell,” the next step is to add, “Jesus, I know that you love me.” That’s a BIG step. Some people go through life and never grasp it or believe it.
Baby steps.
I hope this helps.
Li’l Joey Tailor (Giuseppe Sarto – “sarto” means tailor in Italian, harkening to the English word “sartorial”) grew up to be Pope St. Pius X. Today is his feast day.
…the great movement of apostasy being organized in every country for the establishment of a One-World Church which shall have neither dogmas, nor hierarchy, neither discipline for the mind, nor curb for the passions, and which, under the pretext of freedom and human dignity, would bring back to the world (if such a Church could overcome) the reign of legalized cunning and force, and the oppression of the weak, and of all those who toil and suffer. […] Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators: they are traditionalists.
It is an error to believe that Christ did not teach a determined body of doctrine applicable to all times and to all men, but rather that He inaugurated a religious movement adapted, or to be adapted, to different times and different places.
If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.
If the Angels could envy, they would envy us for Holy Communion.
The daily adoration or visit to the Blessed Sacrament is the practice which is the fountainhead of all devotional works.
The Church alone, being the Bride of Christ and having all things in common with her Divine Spouse, is the depository of the truth.
I accept with sincere belief the doctrine of faith as handed down to us from the Apostles by the orthodox Fathers, always in the same sense and with the same interpretation.
The proposition that the principal articles of the Apostles’ Creed did not have the same meaning for the Christians of the earliest times as they have for Christians of our time is hereby condemned and proscribed as erroneous.
It is impossible to approve in Catholic publications of a style inspired by unsound novelty which seems to deride the piety of the faithful and dwells on the introduction of a new order [novus ordo] of Christian life, on new directions of the Church, on new aspirations of the modern soul, on a new vocation of the clergy, on a new Christian civilisation.
Pope St. Pius X, pray for us, for the Holy Catholic Church, usurped by an Antipope and in terrifyingly visible eclipse, and for the Petrine See which you so gloriously occupied, vacant these 612 days.
If it doesn’t start at the 18:58 timestamp, advance to it.
This was recorded December 4, ARSH 2012, in Colorado Springs to a Tea Party group. These people were all active in the Colorado Republican Party. I gave this talk, and they all told me how great it was, and how right I was… and didn’t listen to a single damn word I said.
Y’all ready to listen now?
Yeah, well, it’s too late. Way to go.
Elections. For the love of God, if you don’t hear anything else I say for the rest of the evening, listen to this.
Elections are no longer free. They are staged theater, designed to maintain the illusion of representative governance and to enrich the political class. This is despotism. If after this mess that we just went through, if you do not understand this, you are beyond hope. My God. He threw that even worse than McCain threw it. I mean, Obama – how many different angles of attack could you have just rhetorically destroyed Obama on, and what did Romney do? NOTHING. Obama didn’t even prepare for that first debate. Romney didn’t say anything. Romney didn’t say anything about Benghazi. He didn’t say anything about any of it. I don’t understand how it is that anybody can not fully comprehend that that was all theater.
And then you have election fraud on top of it. Here in Colorado ten counties had voter turnout in excess of the total adult population of the [county]. Not just the registered voters – the total adult population of the county, excuse me, the county. And what did Romney do? Roll over. How can you not see this? How can you not understand? Do not talk to me anymore about elections. There are no elections. There are no more free elections. Just stand over that dead horse and beat it – it is never going to get up. For the love of God.
Romney raised, let’s call it a billion dollars, which was largely invoiced and cross-invoiced to “consultants”. These “consultants” are members of the oligarch political class. These campaigns are money-making rackets. Period. Full stop. End of story.
“Oh, we gotta give money to this person! We gotta give money to that person!”
Are you stupid?
ARE. YOU. STUPID?
All these people are doing is running fake campaigns, taking fake polls, putting out fake data, invoicing and cross-invoicing each other to the tune of millions and millions and millions of dollars. And do you know what they do? They sit back and they laugh at all of you. They laugh at you just exactly the same way the banksters in New York laugh at all of you. Goldman Sachs calls you guys “the muppets”. And, you know, i assume that Karl Rove and that whole oligarch political class feels exactly the same way. You are a bunch of “red-neck hillbillies” who all they see you as is as money to be to be bled and harvested, so that they can set up their consulting firms and then invoice each other for consulting fees on these elections.
My God. Come on.
The political class working the Republican side looks down upon all of you as gullible hillbilly trash to be bled dry. How much longer are you going to stand for this?
You should be done. You should be done with all of it.
Are you really that stupid?
I can’t believe that you are. I have to think that you’re just deluded and just have this false hope and this false optimism. Please, don’t tell me that you’re that stupid.
Are you really going to fall for this scam again? Are you so obtuse that you’re going to fall for whatever bullshit artist waves the Republican flag and scams you out of your money….”
“The clue that anybody is ineligible for any leadership position in this country is the fact that they’re running for office. Do you see this?”
“If you do choose to fall for the bread and circuses again, and that’s what the election cycle is – it’s all bread and circuses – I’ve said this before. This election stuff and politics is bread and circuses entertainment for people whose IQs are on average about 20 points higher than the people who are watching Ballroom Dancing with the Stars, and that’s a fact. I’m dead serious.
If you do choose to fall for the bread and circuses again, you will be morally responsible for enabling the satanic revolution and will deserve every bit of the hell that rains down on you.
I’m sorry, but there comes a certain point where you have got to pull your head out of your ass and deal with reality. You cannot just keep going on with this over and over and over again, saying, “Well if I just give somebody some money and I put some signs in my yard I’m doing enough…”
No, you’re not doing enough. You’re not doing enough at all. Not even close. In fact, if you’re participating in this, you’re part of the problem.”
You are Tommy.
Christian Civilization is Becky.
The Luciferian-Bergoglian-Deep State Cabal are the three Gatlin Boys.
The Gatlin Boys done raped your Becky.
You know what you have to do, Tommy.
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him, when he walked into the bar room.
One of them got up and met him halfway ‘cross the floor.
When Tommy turned around they said, “Hey look! Ol’ Yella’s leavin’.”
But you could’a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door.Twenty years of crawlin’ was bottled up inside him.
He wasn’t holdin’ nothin’ back; he let ‘em have it all.
When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin Boy was standin’.
He said, “This one’s for Becky” as he watched the last one fall.And I heard him say,
“I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you’d done.
I walk away from trouble when I can.
Now please don’t think I’m weak, I didn’t turn the other cheek,
And Papa, I sure hope you understand:Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man”.
In keeping with the theme of marriage on this, the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, our old friend from WAY back, Mr. Fran Porretto, sends this invaluable list:
St. John the Baptist Rebuking Herod, Giovanni Fattori, late 19th century
For today’s Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, the following is an EXTREMELY prescient and timely excerpt of a sermon of St. Peter Chrysologous who was a Fifth Century bishop of Ravenna in Italy. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Read it slowly, at least twice. For anyone who is following events surrounding the Bergoglian antipapacy, and specifically the relentless attack on marriage – which really is an attack on The Church and every human being by extension, it is impossible to read this without seeing the absolutely stunning contemporary relevance and jaw-dropping correlation to Antipope Jorge Bergoglio and his satanic coven. Emphases mine. -AB
Today while the virtue of John and the ferocity of Herod are related to us, our innards were shaken, our hearts trembled, our sight grew dim, our mind became dull, our hearing deserted us. For is there anything within human sensation that remains undisturbed within when a large amount of vice destroys a large amount of virtue?
“Herod,” it says, “apprehended John, and had him bound, and put in prison.” (Mt. 14:3) John was the school of the virtues, the instructor of life, the model of sanctity, the pattern of morality, the mirror of virginity, the epitome of purity, the example of chastity, the way of penitence, the pardon of sins, the discipline of faith. John was greater than a human being, equal to the angels, the apex of the Law, the seed of the Gospel, the harbinger of the Apostles, the silence of the Prophets, the lamp of the world, the herald of the Judge, the Forerunner of Christ, the preparer for the Lord, the witness of God, the mediator of the Whole Trinity.
But Herod is the very one who desecrated the Temple, ruined the priesthood, disturbed its proper order, profaned the kingdom, corrupted anything that had to do with religion, the Law, life and morals, faith and discipline. Herod was ever an assassin toward his fellow citizens, a brigand toward people of any distinction, a ravager toward his allies, a robber toward those of his own household, a killer of the common folk, a murderer of his children, a slayer of foreigners, a parricide towards his own, drenching the land with gore in his bloodthirstiness. And so it is that he gulped down the hallowed blood of John from his enormous cup of cruelty. But now let the reading speak for itself.
“Herod,” it says, “apprehended John and had him bound.” He who had released sins’ shackles is bound with the shackles of a sinner, so that pardon once shackled might not leave any room for pardon. “He had him bound and put in prison.” Herod, you are the one who committed adultery, yet John the Baptist goes to prison? Thus one who is guilty sits in the judge’s place and passes judgment, the persecutor of innocence takes the place of a defender. I ask, where is truth to be found? Where is good reputation? Where is decency? Where is the good name of the public magistrate? In fact, where is God? Where is the human being? Where is decorum? Where is the law? Where are purely natural rights? Everything all at once has been thrown into turmoil, O Herod, because of the way you act, pass judgment, and give orders.
“He apprehended John,” it says, “and he had him bound, and put in prison.” Herod, you are being subpoenaed, his shackles place the blame on you, the prison accuses you, the harm done to John publicly points to you. The one who looks for the reason for John’s arrest finds in you what deserves punishment, and the cause for his distress about John. John, who is recognized throughout the world for his reputation, who is known for his virtue, who is widely renowned for his sanctity, by attracting to himself those who inquire into the harm done to him, sees to it that your incest becomes disclosed to all; he brings it about that you are put to shame in public, since a reproof in private was unable to reform you.
John kept after Herod with warnings, not with an accusation; he wanted him to mend his ways, not to perish; but Herod preferred to perish rather than to reform. To those held captive by crimes, the freedom of innocence become most odious. Virtue is antagonistic to the vicious, sanctity is detestable to the sacrilegious, chastity is inimical to the shameless, integrity is a punishment to the corrupt, temperance is a foe to the wanton; mercy is unbearable to the cruel, godliness to the ungodly, justice to the unjust.
The Evangelist attests to this when he says: “John kept saying: ‘It is not right for you to take the wife of your brother Philip.’ ” This is the reason why John runs afoul. The one who warns the wicked is a considered offensive. The one who rebukes those who are at fault is deemed blameworthy. What John had to say concerned the Law, justice, and well-being; his remarks certainly were not spoken out of hatred, but out of love: but see what kind of reward he received for his devotion from the ungodly one!
“Although he wanted to kill him,” it says, “he was afraid of the people.” It is easy for one to turn away from justice who is motivated by the fear; not of God, but of human beings. This fear can postpone the opportunity to sin, but cannot take away the will to sin. Therefore it is also the case that those whom fear delays from committing iniquity become even more eager for iniquity. It is only the fear of God which corrects minds, banishes offenses, preserves innocence, and bestows an endless capacity for good.
(From Selected Sermons of St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermon 127)
———–
St. John the Baptist, pray for us.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Hello Ann,
I read today your Oct 2017 piece “Cutting the Crap: If You Are “Divorced”, You Are Done Romancin’ ” about how we are called to chastity when marriage crashes. October 2017 was the exact month when, after decades, my own husband decided to run away from our family, and divorce me against my will, out of the blue — or so I thought.
How I wish I would have read your article then, instead of all the “you need to turn the page” idiotic advice I found myself drowning under! Oh how I sinned, how I ran and listened to these seductive “therapy” voices. Yes, I regret it. Yes, I confessed.
Thank you for saying out loud that being chaste and loyal to my wedding vows is the right thing to do. I am the abandoned wife of a man who is under the spell of diabolical narcissism. It is shameful and heartbreaking enough, it is dangerous and lonely enough, I could do without the constant reproaches from so-called friends and the media that I “live in the past” and “need to let go“.
No, no I don’t.
My wedding vows are very current, thank you very much. Praying daily for the conversion of my husband is a very current challenge. The struggles of my adult children who are coming of age without a proper father figure are very, very current. Reverting to the vibrant cradle Catholic faith I had as a young bride, only to find the Church in bed with the lockdowns and all sorts of pharmaceutical, sexual, environmental and cultural tribalisms… the Holy See not acting like a proper father figure in this mess… that is very current too.
Anyways.
Thank you, Ann, for speaking the hard truth of our Catholic lives, plain and simple. May the Holy Spirit always be in your heart and in your enlightened words. Keep speaking to us! Keep praying for us.
I pray for you.
Kind regards,
MRS. M
St. Augustine of Hippo, Gerhard Seghers, mid-1600s.
To be under pressure is inescapable. Pressure takes place through all the world; war, siege, the worries of state. We all know men who grumble under these pressures and complain. They are cowards. They lack splendour. But there is another sort of man who is under the same pressure but does not complain, for it is the friction which polishes him. It is the pressure which refines and makes him noble.
Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.
Put no faith in salvation through the political order.
God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.
What is reprehensible is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice.
Because a thing is eloquently expressed it should not be taken to be as necessarily true; nor because it is uttered with stammering lips should it be supposed false.
The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.
Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.
Two criminals were crucified with Christ. One was saved; do not despair. One was not; do not presume.
He who denies the existence of God, has some reason for wishing that God did not exist.
If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds what you are not yet ready for. He wants you to have a lively desire for His greatest gifts. All of which is to say, pray always and do not lose heart.
Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.
The greatest kindness one can render to any man is leading him to truth.
Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.
Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the light continues to be bright in itself but they are in darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God.
The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.
It is not that we keep His commandments first and that then He loves but that He loves us and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace which is revealed to the humble but hidden from the proud.
No eulogy is due to him who simply does his duty and nothing more.
It seems to me that an unjust law is no law at all.
No one can have God as his father who does not have the Church as his mother.
Anger is a weed; hate is a tree.
Too late came I to love You, O Beauty both so ancient and so new! Too late came I to love You – and behold You were with me all the time . . .
Better that I find You, God, and leave the questions unanswered, than to find the answers without finding You.
Dear Ann,
First, I am so grateful for you and your blog. Thank you!
Next, as you’ve surely noticed and have written about, there is a movement to resurrect the beautiful and true. You recently posted again about women bringing back dresses, hats, and true beauty. As a wife to a virile husband and mom of 5 sons, I am trying to do my part.
My sons’ school offers a free Classical and Catholic radio station. We listen in the background during home school, before Mass, and while driving in the car through our bluetooth. So wonderful!
Due to low traffic on the station, the headmaster wants to discontinue this radio station. I think if more people knew about it, they would surely take advantage of this free resource. If you think this endeavor is worth keeping on the internet, please share/promote.
Thank you! God bless you, Ann.
