"Am I Not Here, I Who Am Your Mother?"

I love Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the early 90s my husband, my mom, and I traveled with a Catholic group and visited the basilica. The old basilica was closed because of structural issues and I can't say I admired the architecture of the new basilica, but seeing the tilma up close was a grace and blessing. I bought a banner of the image which hangs in my office where I can look at her often and beg her intercession.

Year ago a friend sent me a Christmas ornament of Juan Diego. Today I put him and a small metal image of Our Lady on the Christmas tree. I love to reflect on the tender words of Mary to her little son:

“Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you…Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.”

Advent and Christmas: The Season of Friends

Today my husband and I will travel over the mountain to visit friends in Luray for lunch. Our friendship grew out of our connection through the Chesterton book club. Over the years it has deepened and we always laugh a lot and commiserate a little when we get together. 

Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Do you pray to a God who is in heaven and distant from you? When you receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist or go and worship Him in the tabernacle or monstrance, do you see Him as out there and over there? 

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Remember This....

 

Mary, Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, is the Scourge of the Demons and Destroyer of all heresies. She is our twelve-star general and God has given her immense power against evil.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL: The Achilles Heel of Vatican II

Fr. Collins always cuts to the chase and his observations on the flawed attitudes that accompanied Vatican II certainly have been born out in its implementation whether intended or not by the council fathers. Despite efforts to reform the reform, the faithful continue to see serious desecrations of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, for example the recent "vampire Mass" in Germany. Even more scandalous, in February, at the installation of the Archbishop of Chapecó in Brazil, a female Anglican minister "concelebrated" and received Holy Communion. [Source] She wears the blue stole in the above photo. How can one fathom the faithlessness of all the Catholic priests who participated in that grievous sin against Christ?

Sunday Meditation: St. John the Baptist, Rock not Reed!

St. John the Baptist is a major Advent voice preparing the way for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Today, we heard in the Gospel (TLM) the moment, when in prison, John sent his disciples to ask Christ a question. "Shall we look for another?" I have no doubt that John already knew the answer to that question. So why did he ask it? I think he wanted to wean his disciples from himself and turn them to Christ. His "voice in the wilderness" was about to go silent and he wanted his little band of brothers to follow the One whose sandal he was not fit to unloose. 

First Couple Lights the National Christmas Tree Praising Jesus Christ!

The tree came from the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. I live walking distance to the national forest so it had a special feel to me. 

The Coming of the Antichrist: Cardinal Manning -- Lecture 4

This post examines the final lecture by Henry Edward Cardinal Manning about the Crisis in the Holy See. Remember, he was writing near the end of the 19th century during the nationalistic upheavals in Europe, but history tends to repeat itself. Much in these four lectures can easily apply to our own time although the threats are coming from within the Church these days as much as outside.  Check out my previous posts and read the entire document. The cardinal's prose is easy to understand and he turns often to the doctors of the Church and to well known theologians. 

Lecture 1 - Introduction to the Crisis: the Revolt

And so it begins: Spanberger's Appointment Doesn't Bode Well for Catholics!

I received this email yesterday from former General Assembly delegate Bob Marshall. Remember when the Richmond FBI sent agents out to see if those evil traditional Catholic terrorists were planning anything? Well, now the head spook is in charge. It looks like a tough four years coming. I haven't read the report yet, but plan to. Expect persecution; it's biblical! It's 1984 on Animal Farm and Big Sister will be the boss sow in the pigpen. Nevertheless, Pray, hope, and don't worry. With struggle comes strength. 

"Results Speak Louder than Slogans" Victor Davis Hanson

I'm a fan of Victor Davis Hanson, although I don't always agree with him. In this video, we parted company when he began talking about the Civil War, but that's a topic for another post. On the whole, I find him a trustworthy historian with clear insight. If you want to understand the future, you need to understand the past. But, like Big Brother in 1984, the servants of deceit are destroying and rewriting the past. When they tear down statues of the Founding Fathers and deface and burn historic buildings, you know they hate our heritage. What they want to erect in their place is a utopia of evil.