Powerful Meditation from Mark Mallett:

Twilight of the Era

Earth at Twilight

IT seems the whole world is crying out in jubilance that we are entering a "new era" with the inauguration of President Barack Obama: an "era of peace," renewed prosperity, and advanced human rights. From Asia to France, from Cuba to Kenya, it is undeniable that the new president is viewed as a savior, his arrival the herald of a new day.

The emotion throughout the city—and no doubt much of the country too—was palpable. People so desire President Obama to succeed that their belief in him is almost an act of faith. It was perhaps appropriate that I had to kneel for much of the inauguration ceremony—though only because the people sitting behind us demanded that we get off our feet. —Toby Harnden, US Editor for Telegraph.co.uk; January 21st, 2009 commenting on the Inauguration.

But within minutes of his swearing in, the White House website began to reveal one of the most pro-death, pro-gay agendas in not only American history, but perhaps the western world. Why do I say pro-death?

Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard, the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Evangelium Vitae "The Gospel of Life", n. 58

The twilight is being hailed as the dawn and the dawn as darkness. The moon is welcomed as the sun, and the Son expelled so that men will embrace the fallen star (Lucifer). Winter is Spring, and morning is night. Male is female, female is male. The compass is turned, and north is south. Eyes turned to the earth, no longer to Polaris, man guides himself by his own feet and no longer by the Creator. From Australia to Canada, from Bolivia to Brazil, the Storm cloud covers and the night races on.

Heaven warns. Heaven sighs. Heaven mourns:

The children of God have gone astray….

LIKE A SWITCH

A few months ago, the Lord warned me that persecution was going to come "like the flick of a switch." That which has been brewing beneath the surface will suddenly boil over, and tolerance for the Church of Christ will quickly cease. Annoyance will turn to anger, anger to hatred, hatred to intolerance, and intolerance to violence. Already it has boiled over in India and Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

As I prayed before the Blessed Sacrament yesterday morning, fear welled up in my own heart as the enemy tormented me again with his tortures and fears. Then I turned to the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer of the Church. Since Inauguration Day, we have been meditating on the lives of the martyrs. It is no coincidence. It is for our courage and strength. I read January 22nd’s entry on the feast of St. Vincent… a word of comfort, consolation, and hope:

Christ said: In this world you will suffer persecution, but in such wise that the persecution will not overwhelm, and the attack will not overcome you. Against Christ’s army the world arrays a twofold battleline. It offers temptation to lead us astray; it strikes terror into us to break our spirit. Hence if our personal pleasures do not hold us captive, and if we are not frightened by brutality, then the world is overcome. At both of these approaches Christ rushes to our aid, and the Christian is not conquered. If you were to consider in Vincent’s martyrdom only human endurance, then his act is unbelievable from the outset. But first recognize the power to be from God, and he ceases to be a source of wonder. —St. Augustine, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. 3, p. 1316

And where will this power come from? From the descent of the Holy Spirit at an hour which will come in the midst of chaos. For chaos has been sown and chaos will be reaped.

You live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear… Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In my fury I will let loose stormwinds… (Ezekiel 12:2, 13:1)

Like the last burst of sunlight upon high cumulus clouds, God will light the earth with His mercy and love as one final grace to beckon the sons of men to come home. And those who rise to meet Him will remain in His light, while the Luciferian Star will shine upon the unrepentant, when the twilight of this era turns to night.

But the night will not last, nor the darkness of death. The Sun will rise again, and the sons of God will shine with Him. This is our hope, and even now, we see the Dawn within… for the Time of times is near.

Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished—not rejected, feared as a threat, and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy, and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age… —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Homily, World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, July 20th, 2008

Published in: DAILY JOURNAL, THE GREAT TRIALS | on January 23rd, 2009 |

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Walking with Mary

VATICAN - AVE MARIA : Mgr. Luciano Alimandi -

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Walking the “Marian way”, Mary's way of faith and humility, we see ever more clearly the presence of the Lord Jesus who, except for sin, lived our same human experience. His human existence began in the womb of a mother, the holiest of all mothers, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She generated Him and then followed Him as his disciple, with her robust and genuine faith.

The Church, through the centuries, joined Elizabeth in her praise of Mary at the Visitation and has continued to repeat: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?... blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'” (Lk 1, 42).

The conception of Jesus through the working of the Holy Spirit and His birth in Bethlehem of the most humble Virgin Mother, are masterpieces of God's grace poured out on humanity and before our eyes on Christmas day. A unique Birth which marked a turning point in human history. The heavenly angels announced that wondrous event to the shepherds at Bethlehem: “ Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.'” (Lk 2, 10-12). Still today the Lord Jesus is wrapped in “swaddling clothes”, because he chooses to hide in humble things, to reveal himself to the humblest of people, since they alone are able to perceive Him through his simple guise; think of the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist!

In this, the greatest of Sacraments, which likens us to Jesus, He is wrapped in "swaddling clothes" and only the faith of the simple who walk the "Marian way" are able to believe in His real Presence, His Body and His Blood, His Soul and Divinity. In the celebration of every Mass He is once again present and the angels call us to adore, in the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus, who chooses and consecrates simple men through whom to prolong His Presence on the Altars of the world.

Yes, the path of humility which starts from Nazareth and shows itself in Bethlehem, the via par excellence of the Mother, is walked by countless sons and daughters of Mary, disciples of those beatitudes of Jesus, of which the first is Blessed are the “poor in spirit” and the last Blessed are those “persecuted for the justice's sake” (cfr. Mt 5, 3-11). We find the beatitudes splendidly lived by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first to walk the path of humility and total trust in God. She shows us how to reach Jesus, to walk without losing our way. Praying the Rosary, the Marian prayer par excellence, with a simple and trusting heart, we experience the meekness and clarity of this way because we are led by the hand of the Virgin Mother from mystery to mystery. With her powerful intercession she never fails to offer support and guidance.

In one of numerous Catechesis dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Servant of God John Paul II said this about the Rosary and Marian devotion in general:

"In Marian devotion the Rosary has taken on an important role. By repeating the "Hail Mary", it leads us to contemplate the mysteries of faith. In nourishing the Christian people’s love for the Mother of God, this simple prayer also orients Marian prayer in a clearer way to its goal: the glorification of Christ.
Pope Paul VI, like his Predecessors, especially Leo XIII, Pius XII and John XXIII, held the recitation of the Rosary in great esteem and wished it to be widely spread among families. Moreover, in the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis cultus, he explained its doctrine by recalling that it is a "Gospel prayer, centred on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation", and stressing its "clearly Christological orientation" (n. 46)… As the liturgy and Christian piety demonstrate, the Church has always held devotion to Mary in high esteem, considering it inseparably linked to belief in Christ. It is in fact based on the Father’s plan, the Saviour’s will and the Paraclete’s inspiration. Having received salvation and grace from Christ, the Blessed Virgin is called to play an important role in humanity’s redemption. Through Marian devotion Christians acknowledge the value of Mary’s presence on their journey to salvation, having recourse to her for every kind of grace. They especially know that they can count on her motherly intercession to receive from the Lord everything necessary for growing in the divine life and for attaining eternal salvation”

(John Paul II, General Audience, 5 November 1997).

Walking towards Jesus, guided by Mary, is the synthesis of Christmas and indeed of Christianity. The Son cannot be separated from His Mother: if we find the Child, we find the Mother and if we find the Mother we find the Son of God. The Church teaches “devotion to Mary is indissolubly connected with faith in Christ”, and so our devotion to Our Lady fortifies our faith in Jesus.

To pray the decades of Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beads in hand, is one of the most beautiful expressions of going towards the King led by the Queen, of adoring Him with the faith of Mary. It is the Marian way which helps us discover the beauty of belonging to Jesus! May we walk this way, Rosary beads in hand, every day of the new year.

(Agenzia Fides 14/1/2009; righe 63, parole 957)