The Jewish Utopia by Rabbi Michael Higger

To read the whole enthralling book, published in 1932, click here. We hear so much about Islamic psychopaths, they are all over the news, but seldom about Jewish psychopaths hell-bent on bringing the whole world under their control. Let's have a little balance.

[...] The two quotations indicate the key-note to the philosophy underlying the rabbinic Utopia. An ideal society among the family of nations, as visualized by the prophets, although not realized as yet, will ultimately be achieved.

Nations will come, nations will go. Dogmatic Christianity has come, dogmatic Christianity will be gone. "Isms" have created nations, " isms " will destroy nations. Capitalism has brought happiness and woes to mankind; communism may bring its paradises and hells to mankind. Doctrines have shaped the destinies of peoples, doctrines may bring destruction to peoples. But the millennium will come only when the nations of the earth direct their efforts toward the visions of the prophets, and make function the teachings of Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. Only then will the day be ushered in, in which the ideal world and our present era will, in the language of a Palestinian Amora, " kiss each other, as a sign of the arrival of the new era, and the departure of the old ".

Unlike Plato's Republic, where the ends sought are political rather than spiritual, the motive of a Prophetic-Rabbinic Utopia is the spiritual perfection of human society. In the Republic, to be sure, the supreme virtue in the ideal commonwealth is Justice. But Plato is chiefly concerned with what will hold the ideal city together. The rabbis, on the other hand, are mainly interested in that ideology which would hold the whole world, or the Universal State, together. The ideal behind the Jewish Utopia is spiritual and ethical harmony.

[...] The underlying Jewish attitude is, as Abravanel has pointed out throughout his work, Mashmi'a Yeshu'ah, that the major predictions of the Prophets concerning universal peace and happiness were not realized during the Second Commonwealth; nor have they been fulfilled by Christianity. The basis of the Rabbinic Utopia is, therefore, the millennium pictured by the prophets.

The rabbis occasionally give a coloring of their own; but this plant rooted in prophetic soil was watered with the moisture of Israel's age-long experiences since the days of the prophets. What are these roots of the prophetic idea of a paradise an earth, as, understood by the rabbis? The answer to this will be the burden of the following chapters.

[...] To understand the rabbinic conception of an ideal world it will help us if we imagine a hand passing from land to land, from country to country, from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Indian Ocean to the North Pole, marking "righteous" or "wicked" on the forehead of each one of the sixteen hundred million inhabitants of our earthly globe.

We should then be on the right road toward solving the major problems that burden so heavily the shoulders of suffering humanity. For mankind should be divided into two, and only two, distinct and unmistakable groups, namely, righteous and wicked. To the righteous would belong all that which God's wonderful world is offering; to the wicked would belong nothing.

In the future, the words of Isaiah, in the language of the rabbis, will be fulfilled: Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed.This is the force of the prophecy of Malachi, when he said: Then shall ye again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

[...] The conception of an ideal Universal State in which only the upright and just prosper, is well described in a Utopia, pictured by the Prophet Elijah, according to a rabbinic version: "Elijah said: I behold all the wicked of the earth disappeared, and all the righteous in control of the land. The earth, planted with all kinds of good things, lies before the righteous. The tree which God has planted is standing in the midst of the Garden - as it is said, And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail.

Ships are coming from En-gedi even unto Eglaim, carrying riches and abundance for the righteous. I behold a beautiful, large city, coming down from heaven. It is the city of Jerusalem, rebuilt, and inhabited by her people. The city is situated among three thousands towers. The space between each two of the towers is twenty "ris". At the end of each ' ris' there are twentyfive thousand cubits of emeralds and of precious stones and pearls. I behold houses and gates of the righteous with their proper door-frames. The door-posts are of precious stones, and the treasuries of the Temple are open, even unto their doors. And learning and peace prevail among them". That the righteous should be the only ones entitled to all the bliss and happiness in the ideal world, one ean easily infer from the glorious future which the rabbis picture for the just and upright in the world to come.

"The Holy one, blessed be He ", says R. Eleazor in the name of R. Hanina, "wiIl place a crown upon the head of each of the righteous." The nineteenth century" maskilim ", or Jewish radicals, used to exercise their wit by ridiculing all these statements, especially the saying that a Leviathan is prepared for the just and upright. Poor radicals! How blind and narrow-minded they were that they would not understand the broad humanitarian principle underlying these sayings! Are not these predictions a crying protest against the injustices and cruelties marking the present era, where the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? Are they not a warning to suffering humanity that unless the order is reversed, mankind is doomed? R. Johanan, who correctly understood the meaning of the tradition of the Leviathan, states thus: "The Lord will in the future make a hut for the righteous out of a part of the skin of the Leviathan.

The rest He will place on the walls of Jerusalem, and its light will shine forth from one end of the world to the other, as it says, And nations shall walk at thy light, and Kings at the brightness of thy rising." The Leviathan is thus a universal symbol of the new era in which the righteous will prosper and the wicked suffer. The Leviathan, furthermore, is the emblem of the ideal age, when this world will become the home of the righteous.

It is an ideal symbol of a new economic order in the world, when righteousness will be one's only requisite for acceptance unto the realm of happiness and prosperity. Every upright and just individual will be rewarded according to his deeds, and in proportion to his faithfulness. Those righteous who, because of external circumstances, will not be able to contribute their mite to the upbuilding of the Kingdom, will nevertheless share in the privileges and joys of the new civilization.

[...] This theory of a Utopia of the righteous on earth ean be easily traced in the Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal writings. In the Book of Enoch, for instance, we frequently find the idea that, in the future era, God will make peace with the righteous who will belong to Him, and who will prosper and be blessed; that for the elect there will be light, joy and peace, and they will inherit the earth; that the abundance of the earth, as well as intellectual and spiritual wisdom, will be given to the righteous and holy; and, finally, that all the goodness and glory will belong to the upright and just.

[...] As a result of the new conditions and radical changes, the wicked who will be left, will change their attitude toward life. The glory and happiness of the upright will plunge the unrighteous into sorrow and shame. Rivers of tears will flow from the eyes of the wicked. They will then wonder how they could have led a wicked life; and they will finally acknowledge God, by saying, "This is the Lord, for whom we waited. We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation". The unrighteous will thus praise the Lord, and recognize the teachings and purpose of God in the world.

The Lord's compassion will then be moved, and, by putting the blame on the evil inclinations inherent in man, He will allow the newly converted to enter the new order and to share in His glory. They will comprise both Jews and non-Jews. Only a small group, the vilest and most worthless element of mankind, as typefied in the snake of the animal kingdom, will be doomed and cut off forever from the new Kingdom of God. The newly converted proselytes of righteousness will thus be received and put on the same footing with the other members of the new civilization and order. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

The ideal society of mankind on earth, based on the principles of genuine justice and righteousness will then become a fact. The Messiah idea will be realized. This is the meaning of the burden of the prophets: "But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the land;” I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land". In other words, in the universal, perfect State, righteousness and happiness will eventually coincide. In the present era, the righteous are never safe. They are hardly tolerated, and are, therefore, always on the defensive. But in the era to come, the upright will constitute the society of mankind. The words of the Psalmist will then be realized: "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness." 

[...] Once a society of the righteous is established on earth, mankind will be safe. There will be no more danger that the world will go through again the sad experiences of the past, and that it will repeat the grave errors committed during those periods when the unrighteous ruled - periods of hypocrisy, corruption, dishonest politics, accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, poverty, want, suffering, robbery, murder, wars, and kindred evils. The very atmosphere of the world will be one of a universal paradise on earth, so that the chiIdren born in the new age, will grow up just and upright.

[...] The question arises: How will that ideal civilization take root? In an era like ours, when each nation thinks and acts only for its own selfish ends, ignoring the common good and wellfare of mankind as a whole, is there any hope that the nations on earth will suddenly arise from their lethargy, and start a new Utopian life? The answer is: One nation would have to establish its life on a Utopian foundation, thereby leading the way for the rest of the world to follow its example. A model, ideal state comprising a group of righteous individuals and living an ideal life, will gradually spread its teachings and influence from nation to nation, throughout the world. The kingdom of God will then become a fact.

Israel is the only nation that is suited for that purpose. The religious experiences of Israel and the ideology of that people as voiced by the prophets, qualify it to lead the world in establishing a universal Utopia. What Tennyson has said of the human race, may well be said of the ideal Israel: "We are the ancients of the earth, and in the morning of the times." The rabbis had wonderful insight into the history and experiences of Israel and of mankind in general; they viewed them from the point af view of God's purpose and of the spiritual forces in the world, and they have correctly and frequently expressed their opinion that the Kingdom of God will come only through an ideal Israel.

[...] As a result of their spiritually united front, the Lord will be to the ideal people an everlasting light.186 Similarly, the leaders in Israel will be peacefully united in their responsible task of directing the fate of that historic people. Israel will consequently become the instrument of peace among the nations of the world. The prophecy of Isaiah will thus be realized: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river.

Sixth, Irsael will be a living testimony to the absolute unity of God. Consequently, in the ideal era, there will be no people who will believe in the division of the Godhead into two or more parts, or persons. Only those peoples who believe in one God will survive in the ideal world.

Furthermore, the ideal people, by cleaving to God, will be an eternal witness to the Lord, that He is the true God, the living God, and the everlasting King. Indeed, the main justification for Israel's distinctiveness and separation from all other nations, will be that she identifies herself with the living and everlasting God, the Holy One of Israel; that she preserves the memory of her historic experience of receiving the Torah; and that she gives the Torah's ethical teachings to mankind.

A Universal State...hmm...sounds interesting...what could go wrong? Don't worry, I'm sure this messianic Jewish Rabbi was just a one off intelligent lunatic who thought the New Jerusalem could be built by mankind and the Kingdom of God could be brought down by mankind to earth through forcing God's hand and murdering all but the 'righteous' and ungodly.

Please note: It is startling that this book was written in 1932, just one year before the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany. Anti-semetic feeling appears to be on the increase in Europe. Religious hatred or hatred of any kind towards the Jews is repugnant and should always be guarded against. Entrust the Jewish people, the Middle East and every nation to Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When it feels like the world is going up in flames, remember that this world is in God's hands, along with the Salvation promised by the Lord.

Pope Francis's New Beatitudes (Abridged Version)

Courtesy of National Catholic Reporter...

In an interview published Sunday in part in the Argentine weekly Viva, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life, my comments, blue, bold.

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same." (Unless you are dealing with a serious 'crypto-lefebrevian', or a religious consecrated to the Immaculata, in which case, ignore the above).

2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid." ("Look, if the Pope says white is black and black is white, then that's the case, hear me?")

3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life. "He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life." (But don't let that water become stagnant or putrid! You will run the risk of becoming ego-centric!)

4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said. "Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone. Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said. Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said. (But remember, His Holiness doesn't take holidays. He's too busy working - for your salvation and for mine! Deo gratias!)

5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said. (And Mass, don't forget to worship God at Mass! After all, we are Catholics!)

6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said. "It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor. (And God. God's important too. After all, St Francis of Assisi didn't have a job. Nor did St Joseph Benedict Labre. But they did have God. They had nothing, but they did have God).

7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," (now that we've moved on from "obsessing" about abortion) he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'" (In other words, "stop euthanasia and assisted suicide now, before humanity commits suicide!" You tell them, Your Holiness!)

8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy." ("Did I ever tell you about the self-absorbed neo-promethean pelagian, narcissistic, butterfly, careerist, tycoon priest I met the other day. My! I truly consider him to be a querulous and disillusioned, pessimistic, bat-like Christian the likes of which I have never met before. And I cannot stand old maids!")

9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said. (But do, feel free, also, to 'go and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...)

10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic. (So, why the war against, and persecution of, the Order of St Francis of Assisi and St Maximilian Kolbe, under the mantle of Our Blessed Lady?)

Our Blessed Lord mentioned God twice in His Beatitudes and these words were delivered by the Son of God! I haven't read the full interview of Pope Francis's 'top ten tips' to happiness and I am sure that within this new 'self-help' guide there is much to recommend, but why no noticeable mention of God and our need for Him in order to obtain that happiness which is eternal?

After all, God alone has the grace to give to make us blessed, or happy, in this life and blessed forever in the next. I suppose that, ultimately, Christianity can sound like Buddhism or self-help if we don't mention our need for Christ. The question is, is that Christianity? I don't know how a Pope has managed to make a ten point plan for happiness without mentioning God but with His Holiness all things, it seems, are possible, for one could be forgiven for thinking that this interview suggests we can find happiness without Him. Whatever has possessed him?

New FFI Head Threatens to Sue Lay Blogger, Following Police Interrogation

"Dominus vobiscum!": A Vatican 'visitation' in the era of Franciscus

It's all kicking off now. And how!

What next, helicopters over the Amazon?

Whoever is reading this: Don't bother suing me. Mummy and daddy have spent enough on me already. 

They'd be simply furious!

In other news, I found an interesting open letter by an Argentine lady seeking clarification from the Holy Father over his conduct since becoming the sweet Vicar of Christ on Earth.

She says she is 'perplexed' by this papacy.

I think I can now say with St John, that I am 'completely mystified'.

Tunnels of Terror

The Telegraph reports that...

Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly rebuffed international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza on Monday and instead vowed to extend Israel’s three-week offensive against its Hamas rulers into a “lengthy campaign” that would bring more “difficult days”.

The Israeli prime minister said the military campaign in Gaza would not end until a network of tunnels Israel says have been dug to launch “terror” attacks against its citizens had been destroyed.

I knew nothing of these tunnels before, so read the National Geographic's article from 2012 on the subject. Are we to assume that these tunnels, which bring militants guns and ammunition, and the Palestinians, food and medical supplies are to achieve both the end of ammunition supplies for the militants and food and medical supplies for the Palestinians? Is it possible that the not only will the militants be 'starved out' like 'rats' from their tunnels, but the Palestinian people as well. Of the Gaza tunnels, which are said, now, to be the chief reason for the continuation of Operation Protective Edge, the National Geographic had this to say...

After Israel introduced the blockade, smuggling became Gaza’s alternative. Through the tunnels under Rafah came everything from building materials and food to medicine and clothing, from fuel and computers to livestock and cars. Hamas smuggled in weapons. New tunnels were dug by the day—by the hour, it seemed—and new fortunes minted. Families sold their possessions to buy in. Some 15,000 people worked in and around the tunnels at their peak, and they provided ancillary work for tens of thousands more, from engineers and truck drivers to shopkeepers. Today Gaza’s underground economy accounts for two-thirds of consumer goods, and the tunnels are so common that Rafah features them in official brochures.

“We did not choose to use the tunnels,” a government engineer told me. “But it was too hard for us to stand still during the siege and expect war and poverty.” For many Gazans, the tunnels, lethal though they can be, symbolize better things: their native ingenuity, the memory and dream of mobility, and perhaps most significant for a population defined by dispossession, a sense of control over the land. The irony that control must be won by going beneath the land is not lost on Gazans.

There is nothing in the National Geographic article, which is well worth reading, about children being used to make these tunnels, which seems to discuss the tunnels issue as one would many an impressive man-made geological feature, albeit a feature which can be used for purposes good or ill. This appears to be a 'revelation' from the Israeli Government seen fit for release during their extensive bombing campaign.

The vast majority of wars are wars of conquest and plunder: Is this one any different?

We all must know by now that the war in Iraq, orchestrated by the US and the UK, was about oil and the pursuit of natural resources and wealth. That war had no possible justification since even the reasons given for it at the time were found to be bogus. Is it possible that the war currently escalating in Gaza is running according to the driving principles of the vast majority of wars that the powerful of this world undertake?

The allegation has been raised that this war is first and foremost about a gas field 30km offshore from Gaza. I think it is a potential motive for conflict worth examining.

Already, British Gas has issued a statement that the company itself has no involvement in the region, as has been reported.  The Washington Institute confirms, in its PDF, that...

BG Group is the operator of the license and discovered the Gaza Marine field about 36 kilometers offshore in 2000, in water about 600 meters (2,000 feet) deep. A second successful well was drilled the same year to confirm the size of the field at around 1 tcf.

British Gas claims that BG Group is 'nothing to do with us'. In its statement, British Gas maintain that...

British Gas, as it exists today, is the trading name of Centrica plc’s retail energy and services business in the UK.

Centrica plc was formed in 1997 following the privatisation of and subsequent demerger from British Gas plc, formerly the nationalised utility British Gas Corporation. The original company was split into two - Centrica kept the rights to the British Gas name in the UK, as well as the Gas Sales and Gas Trading, Services and Retail businesses, together with the gas production business of the North and South Morecambe gas fields in the UK North Sea.

As part of the demerger, the transportation and storage business (Transco) and the Exploration and Production (excluding the North and South Morecambe gas fields), International Downstream, Research and Technology and Properties businesses remained with British Gas plc which was renamed “BG plc” at the same time. BG plc was renamed BG Group plc in December 1999. BG Group plc (which is a separately listed company and not a part of nor affiliated with Centrica) retains certain rights to the ‘British Gas’ name outside of the UK, which may have caused some confusion.

So that's clear then. Nothing to do with British Gas, the formerly public utility handed over to be sold off by Lord Rothschild's NM Rothschild banking and investment firm by the late Margaret Thatcher. Apparently, in Britain, NM Rothschild is after our motorways as well. Is nothing sacred!? Anyway, I digress...the claim being made is that some particular 'group' with interests in the region wants access to this gas supply without any concerns of having to share ownership of or entitlement to it with anybody else.

I don't mean my blog to become a commentary on the war in Gaza, reading about it wearies me, I should be praying, rather than writing. I have no time or sympathy for the ambitions of Hamas, or their murderous hatred of the Jews.

I'm just wondering whether in light of the destruction of the underground network there might be a double impact on the Palestinians, involving a dramatic decrease in food and medical supplies, as well as ammunition and guns. I hope I am just worrying excessively and that Israel wishes to ensure that food and medical supplies reach the civilians with whom we are assured they are not at war. I write this not to side politically with any one side of this conflict, but just because in the 'fog of war', with propaganda inevitably emerging from both sides, it is very hard to see the truth, which, they say, is war's first casualty.

Lord Jacob Rothschild: Fingers in many pies

I also wonder, is this war really a 'war on terror' or is this war the same as every other war? I am only asking questions and I will make a bold assertion. Behind the State of Israel and indeed, the British State, is the man pictured above. Our media, as well we know, is corrupt. Rothschild owns Reuters which mouth spoons the Press the news, and, because of their great power, you will rarely hear of them or see their name in print. I do not consider that we can swallow, uncritically, that which we are being told in this conflict. There is more to this than meets the eye. The Rothschilds are heralded by many, perhaps even many in Israel, as the prestigious protectors of the Jewish people. Whole streets in Israel are named after them. I am not convinced that they care for the Jewish people. History suggests that as far as the Rothschilds are concerned, the Jewish people (and everyone else) are merely a means to an end and can go hang once they are done with them. The protector of the Jewish people is Almighty God, but in the meantime, while...

...you, like the world and all its land and its treasure are not the property of the tyrannical elite, or the world powers, but Almighty God. What sufferings shall be endured before we acknowledge that one, simple truth!? A Third World War?

A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a People for your Own Possession...

For through his Paschal Mystery, he accomplished the marvelous deed, by which he has freed us from the yoke of sin and death, summoning us to the glory of being now called a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for your own possession, to proclaim everywhere your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light.

The Chosen

In the international furore over the Israel/Gaza conflict, with civilian deaths piling up every day, whether by Israeli excessive force, or through the use of civilians as 'human shields' by Hamas, it is easy for us to forget that the Jews, too, are called into a loving relationship with Christ our Lord. As Catholics we know that we can be members of a 'chosen people' through Baptism, but that we can reject the One Who chose us 'before the foundation of the World'. The whole concept of 'chosen people' runs throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, God chooses the Jewish people to be His people, set apart, to worship Him as the One God.

The concept - or the actuality - of being 'chosen' is taken up by Christ Himself. 'You have not chosen me,' says Our Lord, 'but I have chosen you so that you may bear fruit, fruit that will last'. The fruit that we are to bear, attached to the Vine of the Church is fruit of charity for men and love of God which will be our reward for Eternity.

The Jewish people are the chosen race, but like the new race, chosen - the Baptised - the Jewish people, too, can reject the One Who chose them. We see this horrific reality in the rejection and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a death that results not just from the hard-heartedness and sinfulness of the People of the time and place to whom He came, but from our own sinfulness. We see in Jesus, bloodied, scourged, derided and held in contempt, not just the punishment that fell upon Him from the rejection of those individuals at that moment in history, but the punishment that fell upon Him because of our weakness, sinfulness and our own malice caused by our sins.

Listening to the Canon of the Mass on Sunday, I was struck by the words, 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for your own possession'. These are all things believed, I think, by the Jewish people who still regard themselves, rightly, as a 'chosen race'. The State of Israel, if we believe what we are told, does regard itself, too, as a 'holy nation'. Many Christians believe that the State of Israel finds its inherent 'right to exist' from the words of the Old Testament. The land of Israel is, in these terms, seen as the inheritance and birthright of every Jew, set apart by God, among his brethren, to be God's chosen people, his holy nation, people for God's own possession in God's holy land. How many of the Israelis still believe this, I have no idea.

Insanity of war

I shudder to think what the future holds for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. We are living in an era in which any kind of insanity could be considered by both sides of the conflict - and already is and of course this is a conflict that threatens not merely that part of the World internally, but externally, due to the increase in Islamic militancy in so many countries, even in the West itself. An international backlash - and collusion with Islamic militants - against Israel could spell doom for the Israelis who at this time, are the ones with the firepower and the army equipped to unleash Hell. An increase in Israeli aggression could wipe out the population of Gaza. I am deeply aware of the disproportionate force meted out by the Israeli army against the Gaza population, but am also aware of the charter of Hamas which calls for the total destruction of Israel - a view held by many, not all who are Muslim, around the World.

In all of this bloody insanity, this horrendous conflict, I cannot shake this painful feeling that whoever wins this conflict is losing sight of the true inheritance in store for Jews, but also for pagans, among whom we can perhaps place the Muslims. We see this even in the Church. As Catholics it is so easy for us to lose sight of what God has done for us in leading us to the 'land of milk and honey', the Promised Land that is the Catholic Church. What God gave to the Jews in terms of land is given to Jews and Gentiles in the Church. We know this since from Her very beginning, Jews have joined the One True Church, numbered among the Apostles, as well as Our Blessed Lady, the Ark of the New Covenant.

We can all lose sight of our true homeland

The Jews were fed manna from Heaven in the desert, but we are fed on the Bread of Angels, the Body and Blood of Christ. We are called into this wonderous light, this beautiful relationship with Christ, yet spend so much of our time flirting with passing pleasures and our material possessions, forgetting our inheritance. We are unsatisfied, yet often self-satisfied. We are often full, yet we are empty. We set our hearts on the things of earth, rather than on the things of Heaven. We treasure our life, yet we do not want to lose it and die to ourselves that we may life for Jesus Christ. We avoid suffering, we run away from doing penance, we want comfort, even serious sin, personal amusement, rather than the Cross. We are homeless, yet we want homes that will not satisfy us because we have no abiding city until we come to the Kingdom of Heaven of which we are called to be citizens by virtue of our Baptism.

How easy, then, it must be for the Jewish people to think precisely the same way. Called into reconciliation with God, yet disregarding His Son. We see this horrific conflict in the middle east and we watch with disbelief at the dismembered corpses on television. How can it all be worth this? This for a battle for real estate? How can people not be revolted by the images we are now seeing?  We know that Our Lord warned us, we, who claim to be His followers, that no matter how much land, power, money, resources a man has, if he loses his immortal soul then all of that is worth nothing. Nothing! We hear those words and yet so often we do not want to hear them, for they show us that the way of this world is the very opposite of what God desires for us. Our natural inclinations are so often our supernatural enemies. All that we think will bring us protection, security, prestige, status, wealth, in fact brings us nothing but dust and ashes.

Like all men we will die and we will die, like all men, with only the promises of God to give us comfort and hope that we shall be able to behold His Face in Heaven, eventually, should we obtain mercy from our God and King, and escape the eternal fires of Hell. These fires are reserved for all who reject Jesus Christ and His Gospel and die His enemies. That is what He told us. We have not made it up. We know that we could have everything in the whole world but if we do not have Jesus Christ, we really have nothing at all, yet so many do not even have the thoughts of the Passion and Death and Resurrection of Our Lord from which to draw comfort as night closes upon the end of our days.

The State of Israel was born, according to the image above, in 1948, and soon all the Jews were invited to live there, in the land promised to them long ago. Yet the New Israel, the true Israel, the Church, was instituted when water and blood gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus on the Cross and born truly at Pentecost, when the Apostles gathered together in the Upper Room, where they had gone to hide, 'for fear of the Jews'. Those Apostles, the Jewish Christians, the first Christians, had no possessions, sought nothing but Christ and the holy will of God. They knew they had no abiding city here, that their homeland was Heaven, preached of it, encouraged all their hearers to embrace the Eternal place created for us in which the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are adored outside of time and space, the place where they now are, interceding for the Church and the World.

We hear so much that this Holy Land was promised by God to the Jewish people, we hear too that the Palestinians lay claim to that same land out of legal entitlement, but we hear so rarely that the land given to the Jews in the Old Testament is but a shadow of the true Homeland of every Jew, of every Gentile, of every pagan and every creature made in the image and likeness of God. That land is Heaven. That is where we belong! If we think of it, as Catholics, so very rarely, and talk of it even less, no wonder that the battle over the land made Holy by the feet of Our Lord and Saviour, rages on relentlessly, and the prince of this world looks on with glee and fanatical delight at the murder and carnage of which we are now all witnesses.

We do not, at this time, know the earthly fate of the Jewish people, nor of the Palestinian population, though at the time, things look bleak for them, but we do know  what God desires for all of His children - for Palestinians and for Israelis. For them, as for us, God wants to give Eternal Life. That is His gift. He has promised us nothing else. What is land in comparison to that!? That might not be a solution to the middle east crisis, but it is the only solution that God desires for us all. The problem is, like any peace plan, we can, tragically, reject it.

If only the 'right to exist' was extended to all...

Pray for the conversion of the Jews and the conversion of the Infidels... 

Not in order to insult their respective religions, but because God has invited all to the Heavenly Jerusalem that comes down, adorned as a Bride for her Husband, for whoever emerges triumphant from the bloody scenes of the Holy Land, we are all losers, if we fail to take up residence in the City of God.

Let us live as citizens of that land and let us all speak of it, lest any man think that this life and this earth is all there is that exists for us, for if that were true, that would be a life not worth living. Jesus came to give us life, in all its fullness. Let us embrace Him today, for He is our Life.

Without Him, we Catholics, as well as Jews and Muslims who continue to reject Him, may obtain everything we seek in this life and yet end up with nothing at all, for how we die fixes our State for all Eternity. If that State is not the New Israel, then it is no Israel at all.

The 'Right to Exist'

All nations, surely, have a 'right to exist', because all nations contain people who have an inalienable 'right to exist'. I do not doubt that the enemies of Israel do not believe in Israel's right to exist, but with that said, I am not wholly convinced that Israel believes in the 'right to exist' of the Palestinians. The 'right to exist' is, I believe, a right denied to so many in so many countries, among which is Israel. The unborn, too, are citizens of every nation under the sun, including Israel. The 'right to exist' sounds like a potential source of peace everywhere, for all people. Let us pray that all people respect it, always, and everywhere. To deny the unborn, the elderly, the poor, the sick, the terminally ill, the Jew, the Christian, the Palestinian, the Muslim, or anyone else their 'right to exist' is the suicide of any nation and the collapse of all nations who deny it. If only all Governments believed in it! I am, as you can see, no expert on the Middle East. All I know is that only Our Lord Jesus Christ can save us and bring us to everlasting life in the Ark of Salvation, the Church.

YCA National Weekend at Douai Abbey

September will see the Young Catholic Adults National Weekend at Douai Abbey. For more information click here.

The event will take place between 19th-21th September 2014. Guest speakers are set to include John Pridmore, Fr Matthew Godddard (FSSP) and Fr Gregory Pearson OP.

The residential weekend promises to be an excellent choice for the discerning young traditional Catholic. Accommodation options include:

• Cottages (student style dormitory accommodation) £18 per person per night (incl. food)
• Guest House (mostly single rooms - hotel style accommodation) £60 per person per night (incl. food).
• Day Guests. For those wishing to come for the day on Saturday or Sunday - please bring a packed lunch. It will not be possible to provide food in the Guest Refectory for people coming for the day.
• Please note to guarantee your place this year Douai Abbey have requested that everyone books in 3 weeks before the start of the weekend i.e. 29th August 2014.

How to book

Please send a (NON-RETURNABLE) £10 deposit for the Cottages or a £20 deposit for the Guest House to Mrs. M Barker, 28 Wheatland Drive, Cheltenham, Glos, GL510QA.

Or use the online booking system - http://bookwhen.com/yca-douai-2014

ISIS: Middle East Peace Plan?

The goddess Isis, with broken horn

Again, the captain of ISIS, has made the threat to Rome saying, 'You're next, so watch yourself'.

Reading between the lines in this article, however, one wonders whether the latest enemy of civilisation and freedom is pleading for a solution to the horror of the crisis in the Middle East.

The Telegraph reports...

'Speaking as the first Caliph, or commander of the Islamic faithful since the dissolution of the Ottoman empire, he called on Muslims to rally to his pan-Islamic state.

"Those who can immigrate to the Islamic State should immigrate, as immigration to the house of Islam is a duty," he said in an audio recording released on a website used by the group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims."'

Which ironically is what the World Zionist Congress said to Jews around the world in the aftermath of the Second World War. One could be forgiven for wondering whether ISIS is a CIA/MI5/Mossad operation after all.

ISIS are so barbaric that most Islamic terrorists must surely think they are insane. There is a depravity to their conduct which is so evil that it seems almost artificially evil. What Muslims would seriously want to live under that regime? In general, though, I've given up trying to understand what is taking place before our eyes. I believe we are seeing something of the 'mystery of iniquity' of which St Paul speaks. The silence of the US government, the UK Government and Europe implies a tacit consent to what is happening in Iraq and Syria. That is absurd. All we know is that the battle between good and evil is becoming very, visibly intense and human beings are paying for it with their lives.

Let us lift up our eyes to Heaven, from whence our help comes.

Mission to Mammon 2014

A quick flick through the Metro yesterday brought to my attention the full page advertisement for the 2014 'Mission to London'. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is not an advert taken out by the Archdiocese of Westminster, but a coalition of what appears to be a number of 'ecclesial communities', many of which are based in the US.

It is advertised in the Metro as an event 'for people of all faiths' but I would tentatively suggest that this is not an event for members of the One True Church. The reason it caught my eye was not so much the size of the ad itself but the presence of Kenneth Copeland, the evangelical pastor who responded so enthusiastically to the ecumenical YouTube clip from His Holiness Pope Francis, introduced by the Pope's 'brother bishop' friend Tony Palmer. May his soul rest in peace.

The website claims that the entrance fee to the three-day Earls Court event was just £50 but has been reduced to £20, but for that £20 you can expect some serious 'financial breakthroughs'. Below is a taste of what Londoners who pay money out of their wage packets to attend this event will witness. Morris Cerullo is 'headlining' the event.

Pope Francis has gone to quite some lengths to 'reach out' to these Protestant evangelical communities. My understanding is that the honest janitor is more precious in the sight of God than the dishonest or shrewd millionaire, not because God detests the rich, but because God takes pleasure in those who seek Him and serve Him with an upright heart. I've said before that the 'three pees' message of Pope Francis - 'poverty, prayer and peace' - runs in complete contradiction to the emphases of what Catholics have traditionally understood as protestant heretical sects, whose main attraction seems to be personal enrichment in this life.

I'm at a stage in my 'spiritual journey' where I can watch the below clip and think, 'that is completely, bat*** insane', but obviously many others will be more impressionable and vulnerable to the message of these charismatic figures promising £££s to those who pray hard enough and give them £££s. I believe that God in His providence can and indeed does assist us in our daily needs - we pray 'give us this day our daily bread'. However the idea that if you pray 'in the spirit' enough, God will send you through the financial stratosphere to new levels of financial glory is a rather suspicious and dangerous message.

Call me a pessimist, but I fail to see how 'unity' is to be achieved with communities that actually believe the things believed by the pastors of these 'ecclesial communities', who object to a number - quite a number, indeed - of the holy doctrines held by the One True Church. Obviously, His Holiness takes a quite different view, but for these reasons I have found the 'outreach' to the evangelical protestant communities to be utterly baffling. I'd love to see a Catholic congregation's reaction to a parish priest speaking like this in order to encourage his parishioners to assist in his church restoration fund. Oh, that would go down well! Many parishes would like to be 'raised up into a financial dimension' they have 'never experienced'. Money has, let us be honest, never been a problem for the evangelicals.

And then there were two...

This is the loading bay of New England House near where I live. On the right is a man - 'Henry'. I wrote a blog post on his defiant and eloquent response to the Lord Falconer assisted suicide bill.

As you can see from the picture, the loading bay comprises of two sleeping bays used by homeless people between the evening and when the first vans and lorries of the day come along, anytime 3am and 5am - which is a perfect wake up call for those Franciscans of the Immaculate who want to sing Matins and Lauds then Prime at 6am. Jason used to sleep here even in winter but has been housed for a long time now in a hostel in Hove.

'Henry' has been joined by Andre, a Romanian who sleeps now in the bay on the left. He came over here recently I think. He was working for Brighton Pavillion Dining Rooms as a kitchen porter, was laid off and couldn't keep up with his rent, so his landlord kicked him out. I don't think, as a Romanian, that he is entitled to housing benefit, but I'm not totally clear on the rights of Romanians. Regardless he is now on the street.

I was interested in why he had moved here to England. He said that in Romania you only make enough wages from work to cover your rent. There is usually not enough money to cover rent and put food on the table. He earned £250 a week as a kitchen porter in Brighton and this was enough for him to just about cover his expenses, until he was laid off. Without wishing to stereotype, I don't think he was laid off for not 'working hard enough'. He was working a 37 hour week by the sound of things and has now spent a week on the street. Say a prayer for him that he might find work.

I told him that my boss Francis is advertising for new staff and that he should apply but that he shouldn't expect £250 a week because from one week to another, its impossible to know how many hours you will get. Rarely, do I receive a weekly wage sleep with anything above £150 and, of course, if you do take time off for holiday, that's time unpaid. At Rotunda, we do not have what you would call a 'contract of employment' so I cannot talk of a 'zero hours contract'.

Rotunda Cafe makes local press

Pictured left is Mary from the cafe. She is holding up aloft for The Argus a petition to the Council to renovate the public toilets outside the cafe. The petition was organised by the boss, Francis, so why Mary is holding the petition I have no idea. Perhaps he is camera shy.

I'm going to start a petition that our boss pays us holiday pay, sickness pay and the rest. Or a petition for high chairs, so that when customers come in and ask for high chairs for babies I can say, "Yes, we have high chairs", rather than, "No, we don't have high chairs", thereby giving the impression that small children and babies are not welcome in the cafe but dogs are. Or a petition that as employees we can give tap water to customers who ask without being rebuked by the boss because "I'm trying to run a business here"...

Essential for the kitchen assistant with eczema

Finally, guess who is not going to Evangelium because he was asked to work on 2nd August, and agreed, only later on to realise that he was meant to be going to Evangelium and this is Gay Pride day?

Oh what joy...

Obviously, I don't have a problem with serving tea, coffee and snacks to homosexuals and lesbians since I do that every time I work at Rotunda, but I hope I am washing dishes that day just because gay Pride day is total unmitigated carnage.

Many customers are pissed or high on drugs by 1pm. Even street drinkers can drink alcohol on the street with impunity on that Gay Pride day, what with 50,000 'respectable people' doing the same. The day after, of course, things return to normal and the police and PCSOs ask them to 'move along now, please' because they're bringing down the reputation of the area.

As readers can imagine, I was really looking forward to meeting, among others, Bishop Philip Egan. There may still yet be places at Evangelium, so why not book today?

Taking Sides

I don't know whether I have positioned the 'nun' sign very well. I hope Our Lady of Fatima isn't offended.

Pray for our brethen - what remains of them - in Iraq as a new Christian Holocaust takes shape. As for the Holy Land, what a living nightmare that must be to be living in that appalling state of affairs. Words do not do justice to the slaughter and evil taking place in Israel, Gaza and Iraq.

I keep seeing people taking sides on my Facebook page feed, well I don't see winners, only victims and perpetrators on both sides of horrendous atrocities and carnage, deaths born mostly - overwhelmingly - by the Palestinian people. I don't say that to make a political point but to state a fact. Presumably, among the Palestinian dead are also Christians as well as Muslims.

Regardless, we are surely now praying for the conversion of the Jews and Muslims to the Faith of Christ, or are we no longer allowed to do that? We have tried planting olive trees and it would appear that was not entirely successful, I guess because those who reject Christ (that will be Jews and Muslims) seek retribution and vengeance to further their cause while Christians in Iraq go to the gallows blessing their persecutors, holding fast to the Faith that will bring them eternal joy, like lambs to the slaughter. I'd love to hear powerful and influential Jews and Muslims denounce the Christian holocaust taking place in Iraq but I guess they are too busy at the moment, but then, so are our own politicians and media. I wonder why. We were so quick to 'bring freedom from tyranny' to Iraq. I guess that whole humanitarian wars to uphold 'human rights' thing was a bit of a smokescreen after all.

All this and a general feeling that the Church is entering into 'apostasy mode'. All we can do is fall on our knees and pray to Jesus and Mary that the 'era of peace' Our Lady promised may come and come soon, so that harmony she promised may descend on a believing mankind and the Church may enjoy the liberty and peace promised by Our Lady of Fatima. The true victory will belong to Her Son and to those who long for His coming. Come, Lord Jesus! If You return during this particular period in the Church, Lord, if we are faithful, we will be very, very happy to see You! Us and Your Pope!

Give us a sign...

The morning before the Falconer bill was discussed in the House of Lords, this country was battered by around 3500 lightning strikes. More or less ten minutes after the bill was debated and sent to its second reading, lightning began pounding the South of England once more. This is set to continue over the weekend...

Lord, if there is anything in this bill that in any way displeases you, give us a sign. Any kind of sign, Lord, that you are against the breaking of the commandment not to kill, even the highly emotive "difficult cases" in which people are begging health professionals and others to kill them.

O for the wisdom of previous generations who fell to their knees...

A friend of mine performing one of his songs in New Road, Brighton

A friend of mine, called Ben, performing one of his songs in Brighton. He asked that I might put it up. He would like to develop a career in music. Say a prayer for him, he lives in one of Brighton's hostels and life is not always easy singing for your supper in Brighton. Ben is the son of Gavin Weightman, an author, journalist and former LWT news broadcaster, who,  among other works, has written extensively on the Industrial Revolution. He has a blog here. Say a prayer for them both.

Priest Notes "Worrying Rise" in Catholics Adopting Pagan Superstition in Bid to 'Make the Nightmares Stop'

Traditionalists 'falling into superstition'

Oregon, USA: Dream catchers are objects usually to be found in new age or pagan shops. They are said to originate in Native American Indian beliefs concerning how positive and negative dreams can be 'filtered' through a web in which nightmares are 'caught' and positive dreams are 'let in'.

As such these objects fall into the category of 'magic and superstition'. Despite this, however, one Catholic priest has noted a worrying rise in his flock adopting this superstition in a bid to make the 'nightmares' stop.

The priest, who did not want to be identified, said, "Since March 2013, there appears to have been a boom in the popularity of these objects, which are often 'Christianised' or brought into a Marian spirituality. I have warned my parishioners that the Catechism of the Catholic Church rejects and condemns even superstition even when embraced by the faithful for seemingly pious reasons."

He continued, "One parishioner told me she had bought one because a recurring nightmare keeps haunting her. In the nightmare a man dressed in white with a Latin American accent comes up to her and tells her to give up her faith, imploring her to accept a humanistic version of it in which Christ's Divinity is stripped away. The man dressed in white, in her nightmare, frequently gives ill-advised and confusing interviews to an atheist journalist and regularly takes to insulting her with such venomous attacks as, "Pelagian! Sayer of prayers! Restorationist! Rosary counter! Christian bat!" At the end of this tirade, he tells me that there's a one in fifty chance my parish priest is a paedo."

The priest stood firm in his condemnation of the 'Marian Dream Catcher' and said, "As you can imagine, it took all the pastoral experience, tact and patience I have in order to reassure her that this was not a 'nightmare', but a waking daily reality that for the time being she must live with. She was very upset, but I counselled her not to have recourse to superstition, but draw closer every day to Our Lady and her Divine Son, the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts of whom can lead us, at this difficult time, to find shelter not in superstitious objects, nor even in the reassuring words of mortal men, but in the consolations of God. Instead of falling into superstition, let us fall on our knees and pray."

"If it feels good, do it"...

Who is the King? Depending on the Pope of the Day, It could be Christ...or it could be Elvis!

Behold, your King! He is the King of the Universe!

"The idea, therefore, is to save mankind, in the sense of restoring him to the centre: to the centre of society, of thought, of reflection. Restoring mankind to the centre. You do good work. You study, reflect, hold conferences for this reason – so that mankind is not discarded."

'The Pope thanked those present for their work and their initiatives “to restore balance to this imbalanced situation and to recover mankind, restoring him to the centre of reflection and the centre of life. He is the king of the universe!” he exclaimed. “And this is not theology, it is philosophy and human reality."'

Theology, that most certainly is not...a human philosophy, it is...

If We ordain that the whole Catholic world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit, as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. 

The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. 

The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. 

We firmly hope, however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ, which in future will be yearly observed, may hasten the return of society to our loving Savior. It would be the duty of Catholics to do all they can to bring about this happy result. Many of these, however, have neither the station in society nor the authority which should belong to those who bear the torch of truth. This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights. 

~ Pope Pius XII (Quas Primas, on the Feast of Christ the King)

Theology, that most certainly is...a human philosophy, it is not, but the quote from Pope Francis could go a long way in explaining why it is that this...

... as we are fast realising, is deemed by His Holiness to be something of a 'problem' to be solved. Is it because it does not see mankind as the centre of the universe, but Christ as its and Lord and King, upon whom the whole Universe depends?

Update: Since penning this post, I have seen that another blogger has written something that is eerily similar to this post on his blog.

Certain Catholic minds are thinking alike...spooky!

Homeless Man Speaks on Assisted Suicide

I just asked a homeless man what he thinks of the proposal for assisted suicide.

Who in his situation would not complain that his situation is 'intolerable'?

His dad has just died, he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he has collapsed two days in a row, been in hospital and now dislocated his arm, a dislocation that causes him considerable pain for which he has been given pain relief tablets.

Despite this, he is in pain and will likely not get much sleep.

He has been told that if the operation he is to receive does not clear the pancreatic cancer then it will almost certainly be terminal. He is due a scan on Friday.

He sleeps in a loading bay that smells of urine and now fresh paint coming from a studio
inside the building.

At night he has no access to basic sanitation or toilet facilities. He has to go to the toilet outside.

He has befriended a small rat or mouse that 'comes and sees me' every night.

He has been told by Brighton and Hove City Council they have no 'duty of care' for him because he has come down from another region of the country, since being subjected to harassment by neighbours.

If he sleeps rough for six months, then they will, possibly, reconsider his application, but by then it will be winter.

He gets woken up by the businesses unloading their goods at 2am.
He gets asked to 'move along' because he is 'in the way'.

The police and PCSOs come and tell him to 'move on', they treat him with scorn and I expect they remove alcohol from him on a regular basis because 'street-drinking' is forbidden in Brighton
(due to a local bye-law curiously neglected by authorities on certain local 'carnival' days).

He has nothing, nothing but the bag in which his sleeping bag is contained and the clothes he stands in, but what he does have money cannot buy.

Despite the sad fact that by all rights dogs are afforded a higher measure of dignity than this man...

He said: "Assisted suicide? I would not even contemplate it."

I asked, "Why?"

He said: "Because I've got the Lord Jesus Christ in my heart."

~_____________________________________________________________________________

If only the House of Lords would answer Lord Charles Falconer in like manner.

PRAY FOR 'HENRY' 

AND

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE AUTHORITY TO REJECT THE FALCONER 
'ASSISTED DYING' BILL.

I asked him what name he would like to be given as an alias, since he does not want to be identified. He said, "Henry". 

It just so happens to be the Vigil of the Feast of St Henry II the King tonight, but only in the Traditional Calendar.

Watching as Christian Civilisation Crumbles?

"1-0...What marvels the Lord worked for us. Indeed, we were glad."

Or egging it on?

The latest papal interview with Scalfari is, as far as Catholic clergy and others will be concerned, a total and unmitigated disaster. At the unemployed centre, this headline faced me in the dining room. I turned to a friend and said, 'How does he know that?'

Within the world at large, there is a common perception that while not all Catholic clergy are child abusers and that the number who have consist of a very small minority, the headline '1 in 50' does have something of a 'an abusive priest could live down the road from you' feel about it and straight from the mouth of the Pope. Of course, we cannot verify directly that His Holiness said it because His Holiness chose to speak again to someone who misrepresents his every utterance, but His Holiness himself has never corrected any such misrepresentations, instead permitting Catholic Church-hating atheists to print whatever they think he has said without rebuke.

"2 per cent"?

The figure I have read concerning clergy abuse in the United Kingdom is 0.01 per cent of those found guilty of pederasty, since which time strict child protection procedures have been enforced to the letter. I do not know what the percentage is in other lands. Quite where the Holy Father got that figure of "2 per cent" is a mystery. If His Holiness has 'a little list' then let the Church trials begin, but while the figure seems to have been plucked from somewhere, it is a statistic previously unpublished. Nevermind, though, for as long as His Holiness looks like an 'action man' while perception of the clergy sinks to a new low - that is the main thing, eh? No?

The Only Pro-Suicide Apostle...

...was Judas. Still, unlike Desmond Tutu and Lord Carey, at least he had valid orders.

Good Bye...

A friend of mine who lives in another country last night posted a message simply saying 'good bye'.

Cue all of his friends and myself being incredibly alarmed and writing messages on his Facebook page asking if he was okay. No reply came. He is a similar age to me and I think that he can be something of a depressive (as we can all be).

I was about to start my third decade of the Rosary for him when I received a message from him apologising. He told me it was a 'cry for help'. Of course, all his friends on Facebook thought the worst and that our friend had 'done something silly'. The inference I received from a conversation afterwards is that he is going through something of a difficult time for one reason or another and that while not exactly a statement of direct intent, this message would appear to have indeed been an exasperated 'cry for help'.

The reactions to his returning to Facebook to apologise to friends who were deeply worried about him varied. Some expressed anger that he had led good friends to believe he was contemplating suicide, or had indeed carried it out. Of course, this individual would not qualify as 'terminally ill' even though in truth we are all terminally ill in as much as we will all die one day. He also has a successful career and job prospects and lives well, I believe, in another country. However, like alcoholism, drug dependency, relationship breakdown, and a raft of social evils, the contemplation of suicide and suicide itself cuts like a knife through all the social strata in society. Very often, it seems, suicide is carried out by the successful and wealthy perhaps more than the poor and forgotten in society.

"Great idea, mate, you have our full support..."

Was not the reaction he received. The reaction then, to this young man's plea, was horror, fear, anxiety, anger, sympathy, compassion and a genuine sense that we must find out whether he is okay. Above all, nobody wanted to hear that our friend, who we love, had killed himself. Now, I ask those who support assisted suicide whether a man issuing a 'cry for help' would receive, in his hour of darkness, the emotional support that would challenge the idea of suicide in a 'post-legalised assisted dying' world or country?

Are we really saying that a person suffering a 'terminal illness' - that their life is worth less than this man's life? Are we really saying that those people in care homes, in hospices, lying in hospital beds, those to whom we are, as a society, called to show protection and care, humanity and compassion - that they are woth less than him? Or is it not simply the case that the very idea of self-killing - and the assistance of it - is repugnant to us universally and that we deem it an outrage, if not, periodically, conceptually for ourselves in our own condition, which we often cannot see objectively, then towards those who we love?

Next he will be dancing on your grave

That Lord Carey and Desmond Tutu have come out in support of this horrendous proposal is an outrage to the Christian world. The sanctity of human life is absolute because it cannot be relative without destroying its very definition and meaning. We cannot say that some lives are more sacred than others. We cannot, as Christians, or as human beings, say that some lives are more worthy of being called life than others. We have been suffering and dying for a long time, since we have lived in this vale of tears. Suicide has been around for a long time. Many of us have been there and come close to it because of the weight of our own despair in personal circumstances. If suicide was made easy and as acceptable as those behind this law wish to make it, this would devalue not only the lives of the aged, vulnerable and infirm, but the lives of everyone - every man, woman and child.

Pray, pray, pray that this repulsive bill, dressed so cleverly in compassion and pity, will be rejected for what it ultimately is - the transference of the power of life and death from God to the British State, for its citizens - not only on the transient whim of those citizens, but on the fallible and grossly distorted preconceptions of British doctors, whose vocation to protect and save human life will have been transformed into a new role of being hit men for the British state, albeit - at first - with the easily manipulated consent of its vulnerable victims. May God help this country and rebuke those who forget Him and the history of the bloody totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century, that we all, universally, abhor.

My friend and all people are worth 'hundreds of sparrows', but more than this, all men and all women are worth an infinite value the price of which is revealed in the Death and Resurrection of the Son of God. Do not let these wolves in sheeps clothing, be they Anglican or anyone else, tell you anything different. The author of this song below, Mark Linkous, killed himself. I have no idea why he did it, but gifted and often highly sensitive people are vulnerable to it and prone to such tendencies. His fans were, as you can imagine, not thrilled upon hearing the news. Pray for all who long for the hope that Our Lord Jesus Christ brings those who believe in Him and who place themselves in His merciful care. In an age of such ephemeral and passing joys, we know, as Catholics, that our only real Hope is in Him, because He is the hope that does not deceive.

Urgent Action

Lord Falconer: Stop his 'final solution'' to pain and suffering

I am at work today and have not been organised enough to write to Lords to put the case against assisted suicide.

If you can, if you have not done so yet, write today to the Lords, following the advice of SPUC.