Update addendum from a reader:
“But also always check for selective data windowing on the X-axis, intended to mislead about overall trend information (clearly done here by only looking at more recent data). -J.”
As always, and this preface NEVER works, because every time I write about fasting, no matter how thoroughly I preface it, I get emails from people needing to explain their various and sundry maladies and telling me that my fasting definition is simply beyond the pale… because he or she, personally and individually, cannot fast. But, I’m persistent, so here we go again:
If you have some medical condition that excludes you from the ability to go 24 hours without eating, lest you risk inviting some grave medical condition… then do whatever you can. Our Lord isn’t a jerk who is trying to cull the sick. If you can’t fast, then don’t. Do what you can.
BUT…
Fasting means eating nothing. Holy Mother Church asks that we eat NOTHING on two days of the year, a full fast from food and caloric beverages for 24 hours, from midnight to midnight: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This not only isn’t asking much, it’s actually extremely healthy for both BODY and soul.
Hear this now: if you as a healthy adult cannot go without food or caloric beverage for 24 hours without “passing out” or being somehow stricken, unable to work or function, then you are not, by definition, a “healthy adult”, and you should see an endocrinologist immediately.
But Ann! But Ann! The Church says that “fasting” means eating one main meal with two smaller meals that added together are less than the main meal!
To which I say, there is never any prohibition against doing MORE. Beyond that, I would also say that The Church said quite a few things in the 20th century that WILL NOT stand the test of time, to put it mildly. First among them being the de facto abolition of the Eucharistic Fast. How could anyone think that ONE HOUR constitutes a FAST? Or even three hours, for that matter. One could literally roll into a High Mass today with a bag from Mickey D’s, sit in the back of the church and eat a Super Value Meal, and as long as you’re done by the Gradual, depending on how long the homily is – perhaps even later than that – still have “observed the one hour Eucharistic Fast”, which is measured from the reception of Holy Communion, NOT from the beginning of the Mass. This is obviously madness, and it won’t last.
So, yes, I’m saying goodbye to my Lenten penance dietary restriction categories today, and eating absolutely nothing tomorrow. I will drink only lightly salted water, as needed.
I pray that everyone have a very holy and spiritually profitable Lent of ARSH 2025, that temporary abstinence from good things be offered up, and that sins and bad habits be crushed, and that good habits be permanently established!!!
As Antipope Bergoglio’s life is concluding (or has already concluded), the question of final penitence and the Last Rites (Extreme Unction and the Apostolic Pardon) are in the forefront of people’s minds. Specifically, the dynamics of Justice and Mercy need to be addressed. If Antipope Bergoglio dies unrepentant, will he be saved because he had the Apostolic Pardon said over him? Absolutely NOT. The Apostolic Pardon requires that the person be in the State of Grace. Read on:
I’m not going to post the actual email text below because it is very detailed and might betray anonymity, but the gist is this:
A defrocked Catholic priest married and had children. He sexually molested his children, and children he came in contact with over the course of his career. On his death bed, he received the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (Last Rites). Before this, while in palliative care, the man had sexually groped the writer of the email who had gone to help with his care. One of his children claims that they had arranged for a “special version” of the Last Rites that not only absolved all of his sins, but also any temporal punishment or purgation – that he went “straight to heaven”, guaranteed. This is the Apostolic Pardon. But the Apostolic Pardon only applies to those in the State of Grace. The writer of the email has been very troubled by this, and asked for any words of clarification that I might have.
It is a VERY good and VERY fair question. I have railed for years about the widespread and COMPLETELY JUST criticism of modern Catholics as people who are all about “gaming the system”, that is, sinning without compunction, and then just sauntering into the confessional, or, as is more common today, just thinking that they can wait until they are old and within sight of death, and THEN “have the priest say a few prayers” and BAM! All is forgiven and straight to heaven. This premeditated, cold, calculated rationale of sinning and then appealing to nothing more than legalism is what makes people sick, and rightly so. As I have said many times, my conversion and entry into the Church was delayed for YEARS by the scandal of this dynamic, with the Kennedy family being the exemplars.
The simple, blunt, direct answer to the writer’s question is this:
God is not a “system”. God is a PERSONAL BEING. And no one, absolutely no one, “plays Him”, “games Him”, or “tricks Him”. Period.
At the Particular Judgment of every human being, the human being says exactly ONE WORD. That word is, “Yes.”
For a great number of people, the “Yes” will be the acknowledgement that they are damned.
For most of the rest, the “Yes” will be the acknowledgement that they, while Redeemed by Calvary and saved by the Blood of The Lamb, are still attached to sin, and must be purged of those attachments by the purifying fire of God’s Perfect Love, because NOTHING IMPURE CAN ENTER INTO THE BEATIFIC VISION – THE COMPLETELY UNVEILED PRESENCE OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. How God goes about this process of purification from person to person is unknown to us, but we do know for an absolute certainty that every single person in heaven will be completely and totally free from all attachment to sin. There is no sin in heaven. There is no evil in heaven. None. Zip. The Blood of the Lamb does not merely “cover” sin as the filthy arch-heretic Luther taught, it completely and totally removes it. What is essential to understand is that almost everyone dies still attached to sin in some way or ways. If a person dies with ANY attachment to sin, even though those sins are completely forgiven, the attachment to them MUST be purged before the person in question can enter into the full presence of God.
For a minuscule number of people, the “Yes” will be the response to Christ as He calls them to enter immediately into eternal beatitude.
So with regards to the man in the example above, since God’s Mercy is infinite, if the man truly repented, even his spectacularly heinous crimes certainly could and would be completely forgiven. However, it also bears mentioning that if he were NOT truly sorry, and was simply “gaming the system”, God cannot be fooled, and in His Perfect Justice would, in fact, damn the man to eternal hellfire, or perhaps said more precisely, would honor the man’s own choice to reject God and let him damn himself. This outcome, this state of the man’s deepest interior, is known only to God, and thus judged ONLY by God. Can we judge the man’s actions over the course of his life? ABSOLUTELY YES. They were sickeningly evil. Can we judge what happened in the man’s deepest interior in the hours, minutes and seconds before his death? No. It is POSSIBLE that in the man’s last breath, he was given the grace, perhaps through the very Sacramaent of Extreme Unction that he received, of recognizing the full horror of his sins and his soul cried out in contrition to God. THAT is what no one can know. But, we can know from the words of Our Lord and Savior in the Gospels that many, if not most people, are, in fact, lost to hell. Knowing this GENERAL condition, we should be filled with fear and urgency not only for ourselves and the eternal fate of our own soul, but also for others. We should think about these things, and we should explain them to others. Urgently.
I will repeat again, that this “gaming the system” mindset is a function of not having a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ”. I use this phrase, sadly and ironically co-opted by Protestants, without hesitation, because it cuts to the heart of the matter. The Law is nothing less than God telling man, “If you do these things, YOU WILL BREAK MY HEART. Please, please, please, do not do these things, because when you hurt yourself, YOU HURT ME.”
Think of a (morally sane) parent whose child descends into the sins of Sodom. The child almost certainly commits those sins completely out of sight of the parents. The parents are not in any way physically harmed by the child engaging in sodomy. And yet, if the parents are MORALLY SANE, the knowledge that their child is committing sins so vile, so destructive, so evil, should absolutely tear them apart inside. It should break their heart.
Almost all of us experience a kind of this vicarious pain, this heartbreak, even for strangers. Imagine witnessing a drunken man walking along a ledge – while he is staggering along, we see what is happening, and the potential catastrophe if he falls. When he does fall, we cry out in horror and heartbreak as we watch a man, a stranger, even a man mired in sin whose death is a direct result of his own sins, plunge to his death.
Imagine how God feels as He watches us, we whom He loves personally, and perfectly, drunk with sin, staggering along the ledge. This is why He gave us the Law. He gave us His Law, perfect and unchanging, NOT because He is a jerk that likes to thwart our “happiness”, but because He loves us, knows exactly what is best for us, and when we do things that hurt not just others, but ourselves as well, we break His Heart. The Law is the sign (that we ignore), followed by the locked gate (that we climb over), followed by the concertina wire (that we diligently cut with our wire cutters) before we get to the ledge.
The more we think about The Law in terms of God as the PERSONAL DEITY that He is, the more we will understand and be assured that every person in heaven will be there as a perfect manifestation of God’s Infinite Mercy AND Perfect Justice IN COMBINATION. If WE make it to heaven, when we meet other people there, including perhaps some of our own personal enemies in this life, or people that we knew by their scandal to be horrific sinners, we will not be angry, bitter or resentful to see them there. We will be OVERJOYED, and we will sing God’s praise with our entire being that these people’s sins were washed away by God’s Infinite Mercy, and their souls purged by the fire of His Love and His Perfect Justice, just as ours will have been.
NOBODY.
SCAMS.
GOD.
I hope this helps.
Below and above meme storm courtesy of Western Rifle Shooters Association and Ann Barnhardt.
If you don't know those 2 names, you are WAY behind the curve, and you need to run fast to catch up.
[Links in replies to avoid algorithmic X-tinction. ]— Matt Bracken (@Matt_Bracken48) February 26, 2025
Daily Meme Barrages at:
Thanks to all those who contribute/suggest memes via email. Keep ‘em comin’!! Y’all are bringing the quality, as evidenced above.
Exit question:
I’m considering doing a daily Musical Interlude/Jukebox site. One song drop per day. What say y’all? Interest?
Here’s my daily listen right now:
She played tambourine, with a silver jingle….
In this short yet jam-packed episode, Art and Ann discuss what +Viganò referenced in his last letter, Antipope Bergoglio’s biological offspring. Yes, I’ve seen the pictures. It’s true, and I share everything I know about the late Tomacito Arizaga of Buenos Aires. We then ask the question, is Antipope Bergoglio REALLY awake, or even alive, or is this a Weekend At Bergie’s situation? Finally, Ann exposes the flaming sodomite heresiarch that Antipope Bergoglio just gave a FABULOUTH red hat to, Timothy Radcliffe, and his explicit laughing admission to being a child groomer, and his rhetorical attack on heterosexuality: complementarity of husband and wife vs. reciprocity of two fags in a rest stop toilet stall. ADULT CONTENT WARNING on this final segment. Ann Barnhardt and Art Decco Enterprises are NOT responsible for any projectile vomiting experienced as a result of watching the Radcliffe video linked below.
+Viganò’s latest letter with reference to Tomas Arizaga, Antipope Bergoglio’s grandson
OKAY, GROOMER: Time Stamp 18:15-19:42 – “Talking about The Synod is like talking about sex to someone who has just reached puberty…”
21:00 “The INADEQUACY of the language of Complementarity”
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Preface: The “Last Gospel” is the Prologue of the Gospel of John, which is read at the end of almost every Mass in the Traditional Roman Rite. It is John 1: 1-14. It is one of the most beautiful passages of prose ever written, and is, I think, the most theologically dense passage in all of Scripture. I STRONGLY recommend memorizing the Last Gospel in Latin and SILENTLY reciting it along with the priest at the end of every Mass – SILENTLY. Here is the text in English. The reader below makes us realize the primary reason why the infiltrators eliminated it from the Novus Ordo Mass. The excuse they give is, “It takes up too much time and is redundant.” NO, they hate it because it explicitly states that the New Covenant is the one and only Covenant now in force. Read on:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the Light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the Light, but was to give testimony of the Light. That was the True Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.
He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Almost EVERY Catholic Mass in the Roman Rite concluded with this Gospel proclamation until Sunday, November 30, ARSH 1969. Sit in stillness with that. Connect the dots. It’s not difficult.
Do we see? We just can’t all be saying that the mostly atheist political race that defines itself by its rejection of Jesus Christ has zero claim to the Holy Land, Jerusalem or ANY claim to chosenness, eliteness, or anything else. That all ended with the New Covenant, made manifest by the Jews’ conscious coercion of Pontius Pilate via their VERY thinly veiled death threat to him, his family and his entire household and staff (And from henceforth Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, saying: “If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend…”) to MURDER their own Messiah – God Himself incarnate. Folks, if ever there were a “deal-breaker”, that’s it. You can’t kill God and then have the unmitigated gall to run around claiming “Divine Right” to ANYTHING. And, again, just a reminder, the VAST, VAST majority of self-identifying “Jews” today are ATHEISTS. Yes, ATHEISTS claiming DIVINE rights. Talk about a violation of the Law of Non-contradiction….
Just keep repeating: THE NEW ISRAEL IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE HOLY LAND BELONGS TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BY DIVINE RIGHT AND CONQUEST OF JESUS CHRIST THE KING.
Ann,
Just wanted to comment on Shmuley Boteach rushing to the Vatican to be at the beside of the “improving/dying/feeling much better/had a restful night/has 72 hours to live” “Bishop of Rome.”
“Here, corpse, sign this paper that you agree the land known now as Israel belongs to the Jews.” Now, why in the world, we must ask ourselves, would it be SOOOOO important to have the man who is presumed to be the Vicar of Christ make such an announcement? Hmmmm. I wonder.
And drat, how did we not get this signed and delivered before he got into this state of health? (Keep praying. This may be something God will never permit.)
What Shmuley and the Modernists and the Evangelicals all seem to ignore are Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper:
“FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT…” Matt. 26:27
This is explicit in the Bible, which Modernists and Protestants say they believe and follow, so how do they not see that once one covenant ends, and a new one begins, all the terms of the first covenant are over? John in his prologue, explicitly states:
“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name. Who are born, not of blood [not into a chosen race of people], nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1: 11-13
I think it’s pretty clear the old covenant was ended by the coming of Jesus Christ (because He said so) and so the old terms are over, and the new terms are defined in John 1.
They were the chosen ones, but they aren’t anymore…. Or to put it better, the chosen ones are those who accepted the Messiah when He came, and followed Him, and now the chosen people are Catholics. (Just say THAT out loud and watch people’s heads explode… 🙂)
But I’ll bet Shmuley’s logic convinces many stupid Christians, and Catholics who’ve swallowed the bilge of the Modernists, to go, yeah. Yeah. That’s right. The land belongs to the Jews…
No, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the land belongs to those who follow the Messiah….. (And Shmuley knows it! That’s why he needs a paper…)
God bless, Ann.
Sometimes I just marvel that I am alive during such times…
F
The proclamation of The Last Gospel at the conclusion of Mass, wherein ALL genuflect at the words proclaiming the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ, “Et Verbum caro factum est,” “And The Word was made flesh…”
I think this is very close to being peak Clown World. The perfect synthesis of the hatred of God and the embrace of the lie and the inversion of the Truth: begging the Luciferian Antipope, by his non-existent authority, to deny the very existence of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, that is, the New Israel, in se, and cede “ownership” of Holy Land to an atheist racial supremacist political group whose defining principle is the rejection of Christ.
Yup. Sounds about right.
Don’t be surprised if the Freemasons occupying the Vatican actually do this.
And remember every single prelate, cleric and layperson who said, “There’s nothing we can do. We just have to wait for him to die.”
Maybe when they get Antipope Bergoglio to fart out a statement, they can celebrate by going to the west wall of Mark Anthony’s armory and praying to him, as they seem to enjoy doing.
The only Israel that truly exists today is the New Israel, the Catholic Church, and the Holy Land belongs to the Catholic Church by Divine Right and Conquest of Jesus Christ the King.
Rabbi Shmuley is on his way to meet the ailing Pope Francis.
He plans to get the Pope to issue a statement about God giving the Holy Land to the jews.
Can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/ZIn7NNVwjn
— Henri Fjord (@henri_fjord) February 24, 2025
Alas, no one cared enough about Jorge Bergoglio the man to remove him and admonish him for his Antipapacy, apostasy and enormously evil life, including sodomy.
It’s Antipope Anacletus II… the second. An Antipope dying while squatting on the See of Peter. And that was in the year ARSH 1138. Except Antipope Anacletus II was a Catholic. Jorge Bergoglio obviously isn’t. One wonders what, if any sacramental care Antipope Bergoglio has or will receive, because remember, none of those filthy men actually believe. They hate the Rosary. They hate the Sacraments. They believe in earthly, carnal power, and then… soul annihilation. Did he confess his sins while he was still conscious? Did ANYONE admonish him to be shriven?
I struggle to envision such.
St. Peter Damian (far right) with St. Augustine, St. Anne and St. Elizabeth, Ercole de’ Roberti, ARSH 1481, Milan
Collect of the Mass of St. Peter Damian:
COLLECT
O Almighty God, grant that we may follow theteaching and example of Your blessed confessor bishop Peter, and turn away from the things of earth that we may attain the joys of heaven.
St. Peter Damian, pray for us.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and liberate your Holy Church from the infestation of sodomites.
But I have it here!
Watch the terror unfold as the Brady children face death. Who will live and who will die? Only Alice knows for sure.
