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Looking down into the Grand Canyon is scary indeed!
Looking up into the Niagara Falls, the Power of God!
I see His aura surrounding Him among His creations;
Totality gathers around His masterpiece, His mother!
Created especially for her role.
I think of her as my wishing well
With an antique rose in her hair
Upon it, a tiny dewdrop.
Without her, only a foggy harbor.
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, because of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and the waves;” [Luke 21:25]
WE ARE GETTING CLOSER
Today coincidence or chance; the fact that the Traditional Catholic Church calendar celebrates August 15. Why? It is an exceptional Holy Day known as the Assumption of the body of the Mother of God.
Jesus Christ IS God, and the definition of Truth is… WHAT IS!
God, the Father the Creator, created her perfect because of the unique role His Will was for her.
Many believe in Jesus Christ but ignore His mother, God’s instrument in the incarnation of Christ. If she was good enough for Jesus, she is good enough for all of us. To neglect His mother; tantamount, to when the angels were created loving God yet challenged His will. How could a mere human creature be more magnificent than they? AND THEY FELL!
“He hath made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”
“Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?”
WORD OF THE DAY – Pontificate
One of those words not everyone agrees with because of what it symbolizes. Catholics know it means the earthly head of His Church, while Jesus is the absolute head. Especially in the present era, we question; how can the pontificate contradict from one successor to another and still be consider being under the guidance of the Sanctifier, the Holy Ghost, Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity? Truth is the pontificate can’t! The doctrines of the Church were true when Christ founded His Church as they are true today.
It is evident that today, since Vatican Council II, addressed relations between the Catholic Church and the modern world early in the 60s it was decided by those who finally gained control of the hierarchy to adapt to the world. Freemasons! http://www.angelfire.com/oh/jude3and4homepage/alpikecritique.html
Is it any wonder why Jesus in the Bible warns us of the great apostasy from the Pontificate;
“I say to you, that He will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall He find, think you, faith on earth?” [Luke 18:8]
Before Christ founded His Church, the people had their celebrations and festivals such as the beginning of winter “darker half” of the year.
Also, history tells the story of how the pagan Romans celebrated what was called Lemuralia (or Lemuria) dedicated to appeasing evil spirits. However, as Christianity spread by the 7th century, many Western European nations had converted to Christianity. These pagan feast days gradually changed to a Christian way of thinking about the dead, and during the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the annual festival to All Saints’ Day for Romans to November 1. This change took place during the celebrations known as Samhain. Pope Gregory IV made the replacement for the Western Church.
It was called the eve before All Saints’ Day and dubbed All Hallows’ Eve which evolved into today’s modern-day Halloween. Halloween is All-Hallows’-Eve which is the night-before-All-Saints’- Day.
Interesting tidbit from the Catholic Education resource center:
Begging at the door grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household. Soul cakes, a form of shortbread and sometimes quite fancy, with currants for eyes became more important for the beggars than prayers for the dead, it is said. Florence Berger tells in her Cooking for Christ a legend of a zealous cook who vowed she would invent soul cakes to remind them of eternity at every bite. So she cut a hole in the middle and dropped it in hot fat, and lo a doughnut. Circle that it is, it suggests the never-ending of eternity. Truth or legend, it serves a good purpose at Halloween.
The refrains sung at the door varied from “a soul cake, a soul cake, have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake,” to the later:
Soul, soul, an apple or two,
If you haven’t an apple, a pear will do,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for the Man Who made us all.
Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. Michael. Years ago this true story was told on the radio and those who were privileged to hear it was impressed. Since then it has appeared in various places; many of you I feel have already heard this inspiring story.
A young Marine named Michael who wrote a letter home to his mother while he was in the hospital after having been wounded in Korea in 1950. A Navy Chaplain named Father Walter Muldy was given the letter, checked the facts and concluded what was in the message was true. A year later he read the letter in public for the first time, to a gathering of some 5,000 Marines at the Naval Base in San Diego. Here is the letter:
Dear Mom,
I wouldn’t dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard but I have got to tell somebody. First off, I am in a hospital. Now don’t worry, you hear me, don’t worry. I was wounded, but I’m okay you understand. Okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month.
But that’s not what I want to tell you.
Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael every day. You didn’t have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well, I always have.
When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder. Remember the prayer that you taught me? “Michael, Michael of the morning, the fresh chord of Heaven adorning,” you know the rest of it. Well, I said it every day. Sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting. But always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.
Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting for the Commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold; my breath was like cigar smoke.
I thought I knew every guy in the patrol when along the side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I’d ever seen. He must have been 6’4″ and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near.
Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start a conversation I said, “Cold ain’t it.” And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute, and I am talking about the weather.
My companion seemed to understand; I heard him laugh softly. I looked at him, “I have never seen you before, I thought I knew every man in the outfit.”
“I just joined at the last minute,” he replied. “The name is Michael.”
“Is that so,” I said surprised. “That is my name too.”
“I know,” he said and then went on, “Michael, Michael of the morning …”
I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knew about me. Hadn’t I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen? Why now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael. Neither of us spoke for a time, and then he broke the silence.
“We are going to have some trouble up ahead.”
He must have been in excellent physical shape, or he was breathing so lightly I couldn’t see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself, well with the Commies all around us, that is no great revelation. Snow began to fall in great thick globs. In a brief moment, the whole countryside was blotted out. And I was marching in a white fog of sticky particles. My companion disappeared.
“Michael,” I shouted in sudden alarm.
I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, “This will stop shortly.”
His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes, the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a shining hard disc. I looked back for the rest of the patrol; there was no one in sight. We lost them in that heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise.
Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them. Seven Commies in their full pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn’t anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.
“Down Michael,” I screamed and hit the frozen earth.
I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing. Mom, those guys couldn’t have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him blown to bits. But there he stood, making no effort to fire himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It sometimes happens, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake. At least, that was what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down, and that was when I got mine I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit, now I know..
I remember feeling strong arms around me, arms that laid me ever so gently on a pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I was dying. Maybe I was even dead; I remember thinking well, this is not so bad. Perhaps I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock. But it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor. As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, perhaps it was the snow falling again, but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an angel. In his hands was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights. Well, that is the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up and found me. I do not know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment’s rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.
“Where is Michael,” I asked.
I saw them look at one another. “Where’s who?” asked one.
“Michael, Michael the big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us.”
“Kid,” said the sergeant, “You weren’t walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was going to call you in when you disappeared in the snow.”
He looked at me, curiously. “How did you do it, kid?”
“How’d I do what?” I asked half angry despite my wound. “This marine named Michael and I were just …”
“Son,” said the sergeant kindly, ” I picked out this outfit myself and there ain’t another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it.
He paused for a minute, “Just how did you do it, kid? We heard shots. There hasn’t been a shot fired from your rifle. And there isn’t a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there.”
I didn’t say anything, what could I say. I could only look open-mouthed with amazement.
It was then the sergeant spoke again, “Kid,” he said gently, “a sword stroke killed every one of those seven Commies.”
That is all I can tell you, Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes; it may have been the cold or the pain. But that is what happened.
Love, Michael
I Believe, BECAUSE - 