Friday, February 4, 2022
Truck convoy leaders hold news conference in Ottawa – February 3, 2022
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Freedom over fear
Friday, January 28, 2022
'Freedom convoy' truck drivers approach Ottawa ahead of protest
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Expert on Residential Schools Speaks Up - Brian Holdsworth Interviews Dr. Rodney Clifton
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Christ is the King of all things!
Pat and I attended mass at Saint Catherine of Sienna Parish in Metcalfe this past Sunday and I have to say that Father Shroff gave one of the best Christ the King homilies that I have ever heard and I asked him if I could put it on my blog. Father refers to Pope Pius XI Encyclical Letter Quas Primas (December 11, 1925) | PIUS XI (vatican.va)
Thank you Father Shroff and God bless you!
Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King Given at St. Catherine of Siena Parish on November 22, 2020 AD
by Fr. Hezuk Shroff
Today is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. In the modern liturgy,
this Sunday goes by the title of The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe. This title in English is somewhat unfortunate,
because it is not an exact translation of the original Latin. In the Latin title
of this feast day, Christ is not called “King of the Universe,” which might
give the connotation that we are celebrating a cosmic Christ or even a
New-Age Christ. The Latin title is Rex universorum, which means literally
“The King of All Things.” Christ is the King of all things. He is the King of
individuals (the King of hearts, of minds, of souls); He is the King of nations
and kingdoms and principalities; He is the King of institutions and
societies. He is even the King of governments and houses of parliament.
Jesus Christ is King of all things! Rex universorum.
Today’s feast day of Christ the King is not a very ancient liturgical
feast. In fact, it only goes back to 1925 (less than a hundred years, which
is a very short time in the history of the Church). It was then, in 1925, that
Pope Pius XI issued his famous encyclical letter Quas Primas. This
encyclical established in the universal Church calendar the feast day of
Christ the King and gave it the highest rank of feast possible: known at
that time as a Double of the First Class. In the modern liturgy, it is called a
Solemnity: the highest rank of feast.
Pope Pius XI decreed that the feast of Christ the King was to be
celebrated every year on the last Sunday in October. This date was chosen
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because this is the Sunday immediately preceding All Saints’ Day. Pope
Pius XI wanted to show the link between the holiness of Christ and the
holiness of His Saints. He wanted to show that the Saints were those who
willingly submitted themselves to the Kingship of Christ. The primary
reason for establishing this feast day, however, was to respond to the
growing spirit of secularism that was sweeping throughout the world in the
period between the First and Second World Wars. The rapid spread of the
secularist ideology wanted a world and a society in which man reigned
supreme, with no reference whatsoever to the primacy of God: and in fact,
even with no acknowledgement of His existence. Most of this took place
under the covert work of freemasonry, which wanted to destroy the
influence of the Catholic Church in order to set up its own ideology of the
Universal Brotherhood of Man, a brotherhood that is fully secular and fully
atheistic: a Brotherhood of Man without God.
Seeing all of this occurring in 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast
of Christ the King and taught that the only truly sovereign monarch is
Christ Himself. All worldly kingship, all worldly authority and power, derives
itself from His. Pope Pius XI knew that when a society rejects the primacy
of God, this very quickly leads to an erosion of the rights of man. Man’s
rights quickly fall by the wayside, and the human race becomes
dehumanized, when God is set aside. This is because the dignity of man is
founded on the fact that he is created in the image and likeness of God.
So when God is cast aside, man loses his dignity. We saw the proof of this
recently in the fall of Ireland from grace, within this past decade. Catholic
Ireland (until she fell) was one of the greatest strongholds of the Catholic
Faith, even throughout the 20th century. But then, almost overnight,
Catholic Ireland rejected the primacy and Kingship of Christ; and as soon
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as it rejected its Catholic roots, it rapidly began spiraling downward,
legalizing almost every form of immoral behavior and lifestyle that it had
previously forbidden.
When Christ is rejected by a society or by a people, the members of
that society very quickly lose their human dignity. This is why Pope Pius XI
instituted the great feast of Christ the King. He wanted to show the world
that without Christ, there is no real dignity or freedom, and that a worldly
kingdom will quickly fall unless it acknowledges the primacy of Christ’s
Kingship.
Now the Kingship of Christ is fully revealed to us on the Cross. In
Mediaeval Europe, crucifixes often portrayed a Christ who was not naked,
but rather clothed in royal garments; and instead of a crown of thorns on
His head, He wore a royal crown with precious jewels. These Mediaeval
crucifixes were meant to convey one very important fact: it is from the
Cross that Christ reigns as King! In fact, a beautiful hymn that is sung
traditionally on Good Friday attests to this very truth. The hymn’s title is
Vexilla Regis. And in that hymn, there is a very powerful verse that says,
Regnavit a ligno Deus! Literally: God hath reigned from the Wood (that is,
from the Cross). These words remind us that Christ’s Kingdom is not of
this world, because no earthly king reigns from a cross. And yet, as Pope
Pius XI taught very clearly, even though His Kingdom is not of this world,
Christ’s Kingship must enter into this world and He must reign in this
world! St. Paul teaches the same thing in today’s second reading, from his
First Epistle to the Corinthians. He says, “[When the end of time comes],
Christ will deliver the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every
rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all
His enemies under his feet.” (I Cor. 15:24-25). He must reign. In the Latin:
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opportet illum regnare. These words have been the battle-cry of Christians
from the very beginning. Pope Pius XI comments on this in his great
encyclical letter, where he writes the following words: “If to Christ Our Lord
is given all power in Heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by His
Precious Blood, are by a new right subjected to His Dominion; if this
power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is
exempt from His Empire. He must reign in our minds, which should
assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the
doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws
and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn
natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He
must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as
instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words
of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God. Indeed, He must
reign until, at the end of the world, He has put all His enemies under the
feet of God the Father.”
These powerful words from the Roman Pontiff express the Church’s
belief that Christ must reign, and that we must do everything that we can
to ensure that He does reign. In the words of another hymn that the
Church sings with great pride on the feast of Christ the King (a hymn that
we heard chanted at the 11am Mass this morning): Christus vincit,
Christus regnat, Christus imperat. Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ
commands!
In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the feast of Christ the King from the
last Sunday of October to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. One effect
of this was that the focus of the feast day shifted. Nowadays, because
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Christ the King closes the liturgical year, we often think of this feast day as
a celebration of Christ’s Kingship at the end of time. Christ will reign as
King after the Second Coming, and He will reign especially in Heaven. We
also tend to think of His Kingship primarily as an interior kingship: Christ is
King of our hearts. Now while this is true (while Christ’s Kingship is one of
the heart, and while He will be King at the end of time, after the Second
Coming, in His Kingdom of Heaven), the problem is that we often forget
today that Christ’s Kingship is not just for the end of time. In fact, the
reason why Pope Pius XI instituted this great feast day was precisely to
show the faithful (and to show the rulers of nations) that Christ must reign
even in the here and now, even in our worldly societies: that is, in the
secular domain. Christ is not just to reign in our churches, in our homes, in
our families, and in our hearts. He must also reign in the public forum: that
is, in our schools, our hospitals, our business and industries, and Yes,
even in our Houses of Parliament! Many Catholics today have a faulty
understanding of what has been called the principle of separation of
Church and State. They think that the Catholic Church endorses this
understanding of Church-State religions. It doesn’t. The real teaching of
our Faith is not that the Church and State should be separate,
independent entities; but rather, that the Church has the right to impose
Christ’s reign even in the public sphere. A Parliament that makes laws
without taking into account the teachings of Christ will one day collapse;
and a State that passes legislation that contravenes the Commandments
of God will one day fall. In the end, the only principalities that will remain
are those kingdoms and nations that have submitted themselves willfully
to the one true Kingship: the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
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And so, on this feast of Christ the King, I would like to leave you with
a final quote to ponder over. It is a quotation from the great encyclical
letter of Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas:
The Catholic Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a
natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the
power of the State. In fulfilling the task committed to her by God of
teaching, ruling, and guiding to Eternal Bliss those who belong to the
Kingdom of Christ, [the Church] cannot be subject to any external
power. Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast
day [of Christ the King] that not only private individuals, but also rulers
and princes, are bound to give public honour and obedience to Christ.
[This feast day of Christ the King] will call to their minds the thought of
the Last Judgement, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public
life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these
insults; for His kingly dignity demands that the State should take
account of the Commandments of God and of Christian principles,
both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing
for the young a sound, moral education. It is Our fervent desire that
those who are outside of the Fold may seek after and accept the
sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the
Household of the Faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with
joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance
with the laws of [Christ’s] Kingdom, we may receive full measure of
good fruit, and, counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may
be rendered partakers of Eternal Bliss, and glory with Him in His
Heavenly Kingdom.
Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands! To Him, Christ the
King, be the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Catholic Responsibility
National Catholic Register
Commentary by Thomas F. Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute. He was the first director of the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom and traveled to China and Hong Kong in that capacity. His book, World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty is Vital to American National Security (Oxford, 2008) includes a chapter on China.
On June 30, China’s draconian “security law” went into effect in Hong Kong. The law represents a dramatic escalation of Beijing’s assault on the island’s autonomy and its freedoms, including those of Catholics.
Once again, Vatican diplomacy is on trial, especially the 2018 Sino-Vatican accord. China’s actions in Hong Kong and the mainland have raised the question of the Church’s proper role in defending religious freedom for Catholics and for others. This is increasingly true as the Church’s partner in diplomacy — Chinese communism — attacks the very ground of Catholic witness.
for more of this excellent commentary National Catholic Register click here
Ok what are our responsibilities anyways re. these atrocities? Are we to sit back and not speak out and condemn the torture and murder of millions upon millions of people by an evil Communist regime? How can we not say anything? And what about the Godless Christian Haters here at home? Are we to remain silent and just put tape over our mouths? Well I guess so because Father Theodore Rothrock a Faithful Catholic Priest here in North America Speaks the Truth about a Marxist Communist Organization and instead of his bishop supporting Father Rothrock, the good courageous priest who dares to call EVIL what it is gets the old heave ho.
And while we're on the subject, if you have a couple of minutes read this article from Crisis magazine regarding the "role"of the clergy.
Bishop Barron states 'People are putting way too much onus on the clergy and not nearly enough on themselves.” He goes on to say "it is the laity, not the clergy, who must fight the legal and cultural battles in the public square"
With all due respect, Bishop Barron, if that's the case, then why was Timothy Gordon fired by his own Bishop for doing exactly that. On June 3, 2020, Timothy Gordon found out that he had been fired by his employer Garces Memorial Catholic High School in Bakersfield, CA. And why did this happen? Timothy Gordon was was fighting the battle in the public square and because he called Black Lives Matter a Terrorist Organization ( which they clearly are) Garces Memorial Catholic High School in Bakersfield, CA sacked this faithful Catholic father of six. Like hello, is anybody home?
Our Good and Faithful priests and lay people deserve, at the very least, the encouragement and support of the Bishops. If everyone who speaks the truth is silenced then what?
" As we keep the roughly 3,000,000 dead and wounded Americans in the back of our minds, and as we ponder the despicable riots, looting and burning over the past 11 days, also keep in mind an amazing Truth. The first March for Life which was founded by Nellie Gray was held on January 22nd 1974, 46 years ago with an estimated 20,000 supporters in peaceful attendance on the West steps of the Capital. That March for Life has continued ever since and in 46 years the number has grown to an Annual amount of more than half a million in Washington DC alone. But also, major Marches in other major cities throughout this whole country. All to speak up and speak out for the million babies murdered every year in this country. So, let's do the math and settle the issue about the criminal riots, right here, right now.
46 years of Marches, now with over half a million in DC alone plus concurrent Marches in almost every other State in the Union to defend innocent children murdered at the rate of a million a year, zero Police cars burned, zero broken shop windows and stollen pairs of Nikes. Zero looting, zero fowl language screamed at news people. ZERO, ZERO, ZERO, ZERO
Now let’s compare that the just the last 11 days. The anarchy, the violence, the countless burned police cars, that we, that we the honest hard working citizens have paid for. Over 17,000 in National Guard called out, that we pay for. And we could show videos of an estimated $400, 000,000 dollars in looting, pillaging, burning damages from just the past 10 days
We can show a picture of the black retired policeman intentionally murdered in cold blood, versus the unintentional death of one man at the hands of one bad apple, one of only a few amongst over 700,000 good Law Enforcement Officers, who we as law abiding taxpayers pay to serve and protect us from the criminal elements, from the criminal who was unintentionally killed in Minneapolis: He was a criminal.
WE can compare 46 years of Marching for Life that honours about 60,000,000 Intentionally murdered babies, and zero police cars burned, versus 11 days of repugnant violence all over one unintentionally killed criminal and countless police cars burned. And then dear family, just try and tell me that we owe any respect of any kind to the rioters and their cause.
Keep that on the back of your mind that on this D-Day when we honour those who offered up their lives, who sacrificed themselves, so that we could live in freedom under the American Flag, especially, for us today, freedom of Religion"
Fr. Altman
Right Now is the Time to Tell the Truth
Father Steven Scheier
from the Warning by Christine Watkins
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
"Enter Through the Narrow Gate"
Monday, July 9, 2018
Truth Never Changes
"It seems tom me that in the history of the Church, the history of Christianity,
" We are bowing our heads today due to the tragic deaths of our brothers, the miners who perished at the hands of traitors. They perished because they defended a worthy place for God in human work. They defended Justice, Truth, Freedom and Dignity. They defended Love and the ideals of Solidarity."
"Of course, the help of well-meaning people who send us donations from abroad plays a great role too.
" Today I would like to talk or rather address the Holy Father in the form of a letter. I hope the penal code does not contain any penalties for writing a letter to the Holy Father.
"Month after month the turnout of people coming to the mass kept increasing. Nowadays thousands of people come. People arrive from different cities. What do they get from the mass. Here people pour out their grief, their pain. They pour it out in prayer, in spontaneous singing, and in silence which is also a great prayer. That experience of community, silence and discipline: and this is probably our main objective, that the suffering that people experience everyday, at work, in prisons, on the streets, that their suffering is not wasted. The role of the priest is to direct, through a Holy Mass, the suffering of the people towards God.`
`Be with them Holy Mother. Be with them, to those condemned to forced isolation without a trial, with all those who suffer from the imprisonment of their loved ones. When it was suggested to our Polish brothers to leave the country, you were saying with pain in your voice, It is impossible that there is no place for Poles in Poland. Everyone has the right to live in their homeland. No one should be condemned to exile.``
`I am addressing all those who recently have been threatening me in their letters with - I quote_ `a bullet in the head, a cut throat, or being hanged on the cross.`
`To triumph evil with good and maintain human dignity we cannot fight with force. The country can`t be strong if it feels any force. He who is unable to succeed by using the heart and mind has to win by force. Let us pray that we may be free from the fear of intimidation but most of all against the desire for revenge and violence.`
`It seems to me that in the history of the Church, in the history of Christianity, there are many examples showing to what extent you have to defend the Truth. You have to defend it to the end. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life in order to announce his Divine Truth. Likewise, the apostles sacrificed their lives. Therefore the role of the priest is to proclaim the Truth and suffer for the Truth...... If necessary, even to die for the truth. Such examples are plenty in Christianity, and from these examples we should draw conclusions for ourselves.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pope John Paul II said
“A particular problem of conscience can arise in cases where a legislative vote would be decisive for the passage of a more restrictive law, aimed at limiting the number of authorized abortions, in place of a more permissive law already passed or ready to be voted on. Such cases are not infrequent. It is a fact that while in some parts of the world there continue to be campaigns to introduce laws favouring abortion, often supported by powerful international organizations, in other nations-particularly those which have already experienced the bitter fruits of such permissive legislation-there are growing signs of a rethinking in this matter. In a case like the one just mentioned, when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.” (Evangelium Vitae, 73).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Violation of Freedom of Speech and Media Bias
To the Editor
A few weeks ago I had a short discussion with a dinner guest re. Carleton University’s decision to ban pro-life groups on campus. The person believed that this was probably not a bad idea "because we are dealing with some very violent people here." I continued the conversation in an attempt to explain that to be Pro Life is to have the firm belief that all human life from the moment of conception until natural death is sacred and must be protected. Violent acts are contrary to what it is to be pro-life. Later on that evening I pondered this discussion.. False and biased news reports, will obviously result in conclusions that are inaccurate. Misuse of language can certainly taint one’s thinking. If one believes that human life is sacred and must be protected, we are often referred to as being "anti-choice," which in itself has a negative connotation. Sometimes we are called rabid anti-choicers, anti woman, fascists, bigots, etc.
I have never seen a pro-life person who wasn’t peaceful and joyful too for that matter.. We advocate for the most vulnerable human beings; those that society regards as disposable. It is the hope that we are saving lives that sustains our efforts and gives us peace and joy.
Incidentally, I do believe in choice. I call it free will. But some choices are immoral, like a man’s choice to rape a woman, or a parent’s choice to sexually abuse a child, or a thief’s choice to rob a bank. So, I’m "anti-choice" on rape, sexual abuse and bank robbery. How come no one complains about that?
I have attended The National March for Life on Parliament Hill each Spring for many years and the participants are always peaceful. Last year we were blessed to have many members of Silent No More: women who deeply regretted their decision to have an abortion. Each one of them said that if they had known the truth, they would never have had the abortion. http://www.canadasilentnomore.com/
After the speeches on the Hill, the crowd of 5,000 walked peacefully past Henry Morgantaler’s abortion clinic on Bank Street
The Life Chain is an Annual Pro-Life Event and it is always peaceful. One hour on a Sunday afternoon, we silently stand at different major intersections throughout Canada, holding signs such as Abortion hurts women, Abortion kills babies, Choose Adoption, Choose Life etc.
Dr. Angela Lanfranchi gave an excellent presentation on the abortion -breast cancer link, here in Ottawa last year. Dr. Lanfranchi is one of the co-founders of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute and a member of Physicians for Life. Her presentation was ignored by our local media. Don’t women have a right to know the facts?
http://www.physiciansforlife.ca/html/life/abortion/
Bobby Schindler’s compelling and eloquent talk at Saint Paul's University here in Ottawa last spring, on the last days and the agonizing death of his sister Teri Schiavo’s had no local coverage either.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/9/22/165543.shtml
http://www.blogsforterri.com/archives/2006/03/bobby_schindler_6.php
And what about the high statistics of depression, suicide, drug use and even murder associated with women who have had abortions? You won’t read about that in your local newspaper.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07011007.html
The site of The 2005 National Pro-Life Conference in Montreal had to be changed at the last minute because of threats to Saint Joseph’s Oratory. Demonstrators against the Conference handed out condoms to passers-by labeled the body of Christ. They held a sign that said If only Mary ( the mother of Jesus ) had known about abortion. Protesters also pummeled one officer to the ground. For more information on this event
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05111704.html
For some more examples of pro-abortion violence
http://abortionviolence.com/0.HTM#SECT1
http://abortionviolence.com/QB.HTM
http://www.rightgrrl.com/99grrls/May/Sass/violence.html
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07011007.html
We are one of the few countries without an abortion law and we have no protection for unborn victims of violence either. When Edmonton Woman Olivia Talbot, who was six months pregnant, was shot in the abdomen last year, two lives were lost, but many other lives were shattered. The man responsible was only charged with the murder of Olivia and not her son baby Lane. MP Leon Benoit’s Private Member’s Bill which would protect unborn victim’s of violence was deemed unconstitutional by then Justice Minister Vic Toeus . You would think there would be a public outcry but there wasn’t.
It seems that every time someone questions the high number of abortions or publicly states that they believe that life is sacred, there is an uproar by feminist "pro choice" groups who will cry foul, that someone even dares to have an opinion other than theirs. What are they afraid of anyways? It is a sad reflection on our supposedly tolerant society to see the discouragement of open honest and intellectual discussion in the very place that it is needed the most ( Universities) When the Truth is suppressed it follows that justice will be too.
footnote: eventually Catholic Insight did publish a portion of this article as a letter to the editor