Keeping It Catholic - The Blog!

It's where the (Catholic)Action is! Here's a special spot for those who happily and seriously embrace ALL of the Church's dogmas and doctrines, for Catholic parents or other teachers who follow the Church doctrine on education, for all who ardently wish for a revival of true Catholic Action, and who pray, sacrifice, and patiently hope for the long-awaited collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, exactly as it is requested by Our Lady of Fatima.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Please Holy Father: Fatima, Not Assisi

Below today's article is an important note from Randy Engel, a Catholic lady of courageous reputation (and fine investigative skills). Catholic parents well remember her as the author of "Sex Education: The Final Plague." In yesterday's on-line press release, Mrs. Engel addresses the still-needed (and very necessary) collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Adding to Mrs. Engel's commentary, I wish to say, too, that the Virgin Mother of God also made clear that Our Lord - the King of the Catholic City - wishes four particular things from the Pope, who is His Steward:

1) To command and lead the collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Not "the world," but Russia.

2) To establish, in the Church, universal devotion to Her Immaculate Heart, next to veneration of His own Sacred Heart.

3) The papal promulgation of the Five First Saturdays of Reparation (a holy devotion practiced on the first Saturday of five consecutive months: Confession, Communion, Rosary, and an additional 15 minutes of meditation on the traditional 15 Rosary Mysteries). Why? To repair for the five major blasphemies made against Jesus' Virgin Mother.

4) The public dissemination of the "Third Secret of Fatima" which - like the first Two Secrets - is intended to be made known to the Church and the world.

To fulfill the requests of the Fatima Virgin is the most important work of our time. The collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart will save souls, save the "human element" of the Church, and save nations from annihiliation! From the Old Testament days down to our own, Our Lord has never asked the faithful to participate in (much less initiate) "heterodox" worship - and that includes prayer-gatherings with members of pagan cults and heretical assemblies. (As if such an idea for "Assisi" is not the irony of all ironies, where centuries ago St. Francis of Assisi was commanded by God: "Restore My Church." The saint didn't do it via religious indifferentism and false ecumenism, which are contrary to the holy will of God, Who established one Church, one Faith, one baptism.)

As Pope Pius XI reminded his brother bishops, "Thus, Venerable brethren, it is clear why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics. There is but one way in which the unity of Christians may be fostered, and that is by furthering the return to the one true Church of Christ of those separated from it." (Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, "On Fostering True Religious Unity," Jan. 6, 1928: para. 15)

The false ecumenism of the modern-day Assisi meetings invites heretics and leaders of pagan religions to pray for some vague "world peace." Catholics must never forget: By the will of God, pagan Rome became Catholic Rome, which is the earthly center for His Church (the kindgom of God on earth). Rome was sanctified by the blood of countless Catholic martyrs, among them St. Peter and St. Paul. Catholic Rome must never invite, welcome, or participate in heterodox worship or the pagan idolatry of false gods.

Not in the city of Rome. Not in Assisi. Not in any place where the true Church resides.

"For the time is, that judgment shall begin at the house of God. And if first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the Gospel of God?" (1 Peter: 4:17, The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims translation). "Ecumenical" Assisi (like Ecumenical Advent and Ecumenical Lent) is a grave sin against God. It is a scandal to His true Church, the Spotless Bride of Christ - which is the Catholic Church. It is not "the Church" that does these things. Let's be clear (and firm) on that.

The Church is comprised of the Divine and the human (rational beings with free will). It is a matter of history that there have always been MEN (the human element) "in" the Church who choose their own way and not God's. (It is likewise a matter of history that there have always been MEN who held fast to God and His Catholic Church.) Today, it is a tragic fact that too many Churchmen (priests and the upper hierarchy) and laymen dismiss Fatima (which emphasizes true doctrine and dogma) but embrace Assisi and other false ecumenical gatherings.

Although this does happen, it shouldn't.

Again: Not in Rome. Not in Assisi. Not anywhere.

Fatima - Yes. Assisi - No.

Not long ago, Pope Benedict XVI said, "He would be mistaken who thinks Fatima's prophetic mission is complete." Two other (accurate) translations are rendered: "Whoever (or "he who") thinks Fatima's prophetic mission is complete is deceived" (a literal English translation but very awkward) or "He deceives himself who thinks Fatima's prophetic mission is complete." Translation from one language to another is always a challenge but, however we read that line, the Pope made it understood that Fatima is a prophetic mission and it is not yet complete.

Prophetic mission? Yes. Prophetic as in prophecy. Remember the prophecies of Fatima if what Our Lady's requests were not heeded? Innumerable souls falling into the hell of the damned. World War II. More wars. Famine. Persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father. All of these things came true, and some are stil unfolding. "The martyrdom of the good" continues. What is left of the Fatima prophecies?

"The annihiliation of nations." Annihiliation, not assimilation. Annihilation of whole nations is a real and frightening possibility, either by atomic war or by "natural" disasters like disease, great famines, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, or tsunamis. Must this happen, too? The evil that has happened could have been averted by a pope - any pope - who completely obeyed Our Lady of Fatima. And it is still possible to save what can be saved, to avoid what can be avoided. "In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, she [Russia] will be converted, and an era of peace will be granted to the world."

The first step in solving the terrible chaos besieging the Church and the world is the collegial consecration of Russia to the Virgin's Immaculate Heart.

"Pray much for the Holy Father - he will do it, but it will be late." (Our Lord to Sr. Lucia, the eldest of the Fatima visionaries).

Finally, I wish to extend my personal gratitude to Randy Engel, who is (again) standing up for Church doctrine, as well as the Fatima's Virgin's requests (for the two go hand-in-hand). Below, you will find Mrs. Engel's press-release of Feb. 23, 2011 (with bold emphasis added by yours truly). ~ MCB

From: Randy Engel
Release Date: Feb. 23, 2011

Dear Friends,

This mailing is a follow-up to my February 9, 2011 commentary “World Peace to be Found in the Fatima Consecration, Not Assisi Meeting” at http://www.uscl.info/index.php?pr=Press_Releases.

One of the questions raised by my article was, “Hasn’t the Consecration already been made?”

Here is a link to John Vennari’s excellent CFN article, “The Consecration of Russia Is Not Accomplished,” at http://www.cfnews.org/jv-fatm.htm.

Please pay special attention to footnote #8 which states that in 1988, the Vatican ordered all Fatima Apostolates to claim that the 1984 Consecration fulfilled the request of Our Lady of Fatima. Fatima devotee Abbé Pierre Caillon writes, “An order came from Rome, obliging everyone to say and think: ‘The Consecration is done.’”

Please continue to pray that Benedict XVI will have a change of mind and heart and go to Fatima and not the Assisi Meeting in October 2011. And mark October 13, 2011, the 94th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, on your calendar as a day of prayer, penance and fasting should Benedict XVI make the egregious error of choosing Assisi and the Devil over Our Lord and Our Lady.

Randy Engel, USCL

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

St. Valentine's Day: A Quote to Remember

"To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood. When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women." ~Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse: What Say You?

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in the order in which they are mentioned in Chapter 6:
1) the white horse ("...he that sat upon him had a bow,
and there was a crown given him,
and he went forth conquering that he might conquer")
2) the red horse ("...and to him that sat thereon,
it was given that he should take peace from the earth, , and they should kill one another,
and a great sword was given to him),
3) the black horse ("...and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hands")
4) the pale horse (coincidentally depicted as a luminescent green horse...
"...and he that sat upon him, his name was Death, and hell followed him.
And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth,
to kill with a sword,
with famine,
and with death,
and with the beasts of the earth.")

As one who studies prophecy (both Scriptural and "private"), I couldn't help but wonder when, a few days ago, the image of a green, translucent figure of a horse and its rider showed up on a Euronews broadcast (and supposedly was also shown on MSNBC and CNN).

But what is the cause of this image?

Is it the result of light reflections (causing the image of a horseman - complete with an Egyptian-type head covering, almost like a tall crown, and a horse that doesn't glide, but moves up and down just like a walking horse)?

Is it a holographic hoax?

Or is it a "sign" - the kind we find in the Holy Scriptures?

What say you?

BY THE WAY: After viewing the video, keep scrolling, please!

Also: Comments are welcome, as long as they follow the rules of old-fashioned courtesy!

And now...The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as they are described in The Apocalypse of St. John, Ch. 6: 1-10 (also known as Revelations):

"And I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures, as it were the voice of thunder, saying: Come, and see. [2] And I saw: and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and there was a crown given him, and he went forth conquering that he might conquer. [3] And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature, saying: Come, and see. [4] And there went out another horse that was red: and to him that sat thereon, it was given that he should take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another, and a great sword was given to him. [5] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: Come, and see. And behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand."

"[6]And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying: Two pounds of wheat for a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the wine and the oil. [7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, saying: Come, and see. [8] And behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon him, his name was Death, and hell followed him. And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Apocalypse 6: 1-10)

The White Horse
In The Book of Destiny, Rev. Herman Bernard Kramer explains that the rider of the white horse is given a crown, "which refers decisively to his character. It calls to mind the words of Christ before Pilate: 'Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were GIVEN thee from above.' (Jn. 19:11) Until Christ surrendered Himself into the Roman power, no one could injure Him. The words 'there was given him a crown' also allude to the beast in (Apocalypse) chapter 13, verses 5 and 7, namely, that he can persecute the Church only as long as it is given him to do so. The inference is that the rider on the white horse is an enemy of the Church."

Rev. Kramer also explains that the phrase, "conquering that he might conquer" is "a Hebrewism meaning a state of affairs or continuous action that would go on for a long time." In this writer's opinion, that continuing state of affairs began with the conclusion of High Middle Ages, the rise of humanism and other heresies, which led to the Protestant Revolt at the beginning of the "Modern Age." (Consider, too, the heresy of "nationalism," for which many, like St. Joan of Arc, were martyred.) This "state of affairs" continued with the French Revolt against the altar of God and the Catholic throne, and ultimately brought forth the heresy of modernism, which is now afflicting the Church "from within," as Pope St. Pius X acknowledged (and warned against) in the keen-sighted and prophetic Pascendi Dominici Gregis.

"The use of a bow for a weapon signifies the infliction of wounds on the Church, but not destruction. The sword [however] is the symbol of complete destruction, as is evident in chapter 19: 20 [of the Apocalypse] where it is decreed for the followers of the beast. Although the bow is far-reaching, it can only single out individuals for death."

My own impression of Fr. Kramer's words, coupled with my continuing study of history, is that the damage inflicted by the bow indicates: 1) the individual martyrs, especially those since the 15th century and 2) the individuals who would accept heresies (a mortal sin in denying the true Christ and His Church, thus bringing death to the soul).

The Red Horse
Fr. Kramer notes that the red horse is a "symbol of war." Now, men have always been at war. What, then, makes this red horse and its rider so different? It is because the rider will take peace from the earth - the entire planet - and he is given "a great sword" to do so. There have, indeed, been great wars in the past. But only the 20th Century can (sadly) claim two world wars. The world is still not enjoying an "era of peace," as Our Lady promised at Fatima, for three reasons:

1)The collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is not yet accomplished.
2) The Five First Saturdays of Reparation have not been promulgated by any pope.
3) There is no world-wide devotion to the Immacuate Heart of Mary (which must be placed next to devotion of Our Lord's Sacred Heart).

Those three things were requests by the Virgin Mary, and lest we forget - Fatima is approved by the Church as "worthy of belief." We can't dismiss Fatima with an airy, "Well, we're not obligated to believe in private revelations." If the Virgin did appear at Fatima - and the Church has judged that She did - how can we ignore Her with the most ridiculous of excuses that "we're not obligated to believe in private revelations"? And since Our Lady of Fatima was not obeyed, World War II came closely upon the heels of World War I. More wars followed. Every day, we hear of insurrections and revolts. And, although we fear it, every day we expect to hear about "the spark" that will ignite World War III.

Hence, this red horse, with its rider, is a harbinger of universal war.

The Black Horse
Again referring to Rev. Kramer, the black horse "fits the personification of famine. Famine with exorbitant prices for food follows in the wake of war. Food is rationed and weighed during a war. St. John hears a voice from the midst of the four living beings announcing the price of food....It is a 'denarion' for a quart of wheat and the same for three quarts of barley...The common coin for a day's wages was a denarion. And the measure given is in Greek...which is about 1 1/2 lbs. of wheat, or 2 lbs., according to some authorities....Wheat was the food of the rich. Ordinarily twelve such measures could be bought for a denarion. Three times as much barley could be bought for the same coin. Barley was mainly the food of the poor. And so the price fixed for barley made it possible for a hardened laborer to support his family in a time of famine."

Now think about this, for just a moment: A man will have to work a whole day, just to earn enough wheat for one loaf of bread, two at the most. Barley, as Rev. Kramer notes, is the food of the poor. Why is that? Because barley is not very palatable all on its own, and the rich (usually self-indulgent) won't want it. Hence, barley will be more affordable than wheat. Now, if one has a family, what will one choose when, for the same amount of money, one can choose to buy one quart of wheat or three quarts of barley? (While the barley will stretch further, making bread out of pure barley, with no wheat or oats mixed in, is a bit tricky. It would probably have to be a pita-like bread. The same applies to wheat, especially if there is no leavening, but only flour, water, and a little oil with which to make flatbread.)

"Not to harm 'the oil and wine' has been interpreted to mean that God does not desire the utter ruin or extermination of any people that can still be converted, but purifies it by suffering," notes the Rev. Kramer. Perhaps we should also take note that oil and wine are necessary for the sacraments of Baptism (blessed oil, aka "chrism," and holy water), Confirmation (blessed oil) and Extreme Unction (again, blessed oil, in conjunction with Viaticum - Holy Eucharist or a drop of the Precious Blood - if the sick person can physically manage to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion) .

Then there is the consecration of bread and wine, through which a priest's words and actions of consecration there occurs the miracle of Transubstantiation. The Apocalypse foretells that the needed wheat (which must be unleavened) will be scarce and therefore expensive, but the wine needed (for the Holy Liturgy?) will not be so. Perhaps in this prophecy, God is telling us to especially look to the Precious Blood of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Pale Horse
For a reason unfathomable to me, Rev. Kramer says that St. John calls the pale rider "A GREEN HORSE." I must be overlooking something very important, but I can find no apocalyptic reference to a "green horse." That said, here is Rev. Kramer's commentary:

"A horse of so strange a color appears that the Seer calls it 'a GREEN HORSE.' The color suggests to the mind a body decaying with pestilence. Death rides the horse. This personification of death presages utter depopulation or DEATH for this 'FOURTH PART'of the earth. He is to use as his means the four great plagues of mankind enumerated in the prophets, the sword, famine, pestilence and beasts of the earth. The last word, 'death,' stands for pestilence, while the name for the figure stands for 'extermination." The other figures of the second and third scourges [i.e., the 2nd and 3rd horsemen] are at his service; and besides that, he has pestilence and the wild beasts to aid him in his sweeping job of destruction."

So, whether or not the "green rider and horse" seen in the Youtube videos are real or a hoax, let's carefully and prayerfully consider all the unfulfilled prophecies found in the Holy Bible, from Daniel to the Apocalypse.

After all, shouldn't we read and know "the signs of the times"?

Saturday, November 13, 2010

De Novissimis: Remember Your Four Last Things

“Here is a short medicine,” wrote St. Thomas More, “containing only four herbs, and they are common and well known: death, judgment, pain, and joy. This short medicine has a marvelous potency: the ability to keep us, all our life, from sin.” [1] To this the saint added, “The Scriptures do not bid you to know the four last things, but to remember your four last things.” [2]

Perhaps only the cheerful and witty St. Thomas More could describe the recollection of the four last things as a “short medicine” (an effective herbal remedy, comprised of a short list of ingredients, to cure illness – hence, “short medicine”). While it is true that we are not explicitly bidden to know the four last things, they have been made known to us. Death is something which all mankind experiences, and the knowledge of the other three – judgment, Hell, or Heaven – were received through Divine Revelation.

In the last decade or so, there developed a motto of sorts, “It’s the journey that matters. To the journey! ” That modern maxim is true, “as such” - but to be entirely truthful, it needs an important clarification: “It’s the journey that matters – because the path we choose determines our final destination. To the journey! ”

Above and beyond this, Jesus our Savior instructs us, “Enter ye in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there are that go in thereat. How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there are that find it!” [4]

Preoccupied as we are with the joys and sorrows of this life, we are prone to forgetfulness. We forget that God gave us a specific road to travel and that He Himself assists us through the valley of tears. We forget that He created us to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this world so as to be happy with Him in the next world. We forget that, as St. Jean Marie Vianney wrote, “man, gifted with reason and a free will, is in his nature the image of God. Endowed with reason we must perceive the truth, investigate and distinguish lies from truth. And endowed with will power, we must choose, love and perform the good…Furthermore, we sin against reason which makes us the image of God, if we do not endeavor to attain that knowledge which is necessary for every Christian to his calling.” [5]

To soberly reflect on the four last things helps us to practice well the Holy Ghost’s gift of Fear of the Lord, as well as His other six gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, and Piety. All of these gifts, if used rightly, “help us by making us more alert to discern and more ready to do the will of God.” [8]

So we should not shrink in pondering the four last things, because they are four realities. As St. Alphonsus de Liguori is so careful to remind us, “The business of eternal salvation is to us the most important of all affairs; but it is also the most neglected by Christians…It is the most important affair, because if the soul is lost, all is lost.” [9]

Passing from this Life“To die and to be dead are not one and the same,” reflected St. Thomas More. “It is true that we are never dead while we live; but it is, it seems to me, just as true not only that we die while we live, but also that we die all the while we live. For what is dying? Is it anything other than the passing and going out of this life?" [10]

Death, the separation of soul from the body, is the first herb of our “short medicine.” God creates each person as body and soul, which “are united in a substantial union to form one complete human nature.” [11] It was never Our Lord and Creator’s positive Will that body and soul should be cleaved apart. Death is a consequence of Adam’s sin by his own free will. [12] With the fall of Adam, God in His Justice allowed the terrible sentence of physical death to fall upon the entire human race.

That which with the Holy Trinity had bestowed upon Adam and Eve elevated their natural condition to the supernatural. The gift of sanctifying grace made them children of God and gave them the right to heaven. As the Baltimore Catechism explains, “It raises men to the supernatural order, conferring on them powers entirely above those proper to human nature. Together with sanctifying grace, God gave Adam and Eve the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost.” [13]

The first man and woman also possessed preternatural gifts – the Garden of Paradise, integrity (complete control of the faculties, passions, and appetites by reason and the free will), immortality, and impassibility (freedom from suffering and death).[14] Before creating Eve, the “Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.” [15] Then God said to Adam, “Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.” [16] The Holy Bible does not reveal for how long Adam and Eve obeyed this command, thus enjoying the Garden of Paradise, but we do know that God allowed them to be tested.

“Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,” [17] said the tempter to Eve and, in this, he told a half-truth, for “the gods of the earth” [18] are demons. Our first parents failed a very simple test of fidelity to God; both Adam and Eve abused the gifts of reason and free will through pride, which led to ingratitude of heart, and then disobedience.

But when Adam fell, so did all mankind. As head and father of the human race, Adam knowingly threw away the chief gift of sanctifying grace, thereby losing the friendship of God and the right to Heaven. This holy inheritance was lost not only to Adam but to all of his descendants. After all, Adam could not give to his children what he no longer possessed; he could only bequeath Original Sin, so-called because “it comes down to us through our origin, from Adam.” [19]

Since that terrible moment in our history, every human being is subject to the consequences of disease, suffering, and death. Earthly life became a painful period of probation, and the soul’s passing from this life to the next became known as “the death agony.”

“We know from the testimony of Our Redeemer Himself that no agony is like the agony of death,” wrote Fr. Martin von Cochem, 19th century author of The Four Last Things. “Nowhere do we find that at any period of His life the greatness of the pains He bore extorted from Our Lord a cry of anguish. But when the moment came for Him to expire, and the ruthless hand of death rent His Heart asunder, we read that He cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. Hence it is evident that at no period of the Passion did Christ suffer so acutely as at the most painful separation of His sacred soul from His blessed body.” [20]

Above all things, the thought that our dear Jesus – God Himself – cried out at the moment of His own death should not incite fear but both compunction of heart and solace. Through His Death and Resurrection, He has offered us the means to a happy death.

What Our Lord said to the grieving sister of Lazarus, He also says to us: “I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, although he be dead, shall live. And every one that liveth, and believeth in me, shall not die for ever. Believest thou this?” [21]

In the Twinkling of an Eye: From Death to Judgment
The infallible Scriptures teach, “…it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this judgment.” [22] The time of merit and trial is over, and at the very moment life ends, the immortal soul remains in the state in which death claimed it. [23] “In the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.” [24]

A compelling meditation was presented by Fr. von Cochem, the 15th century priest previously mentioned, when he wrote:

“Consider, first of all, what a strange new sensation it will be for thy soul, when she finds herself separated from the body, in an unknown world. Hitherto she has known no existence apart from the body; now she is suddenly separated from it.”

“Hitherto she was in time; now she has passed into eternity.”

“Now for the first time her eyes are opened, and she sees clearly what eternity is, what sin is, what virtue is, how infinite is the being of the Deity, and how wondrous is her own nature.”

“All this will appear so marvellous to her that she will be almost petrified with astonishment. After the first instant of wonder, she will be conducted before the tribunal of God, that she may give an account of all her actions; and the terror that will then seize upon the unhappy soul surpasses our powers of conception.” [25]

What is called “the Particular Judgment” of each soul takes place at the very moment of death.[26] Jesus Himself is the Judge, as the Gospel of St. John reveals: “Neither does the Father judge any man, but all judgment He has given to the Son.” [27] We also know that each soul will give Jesus Christ an account of its earthly life.

“Each individual,” said St. Jerome, “will see what he has done.” [28] Every thought, every word, every action, and every neglect will be judged in the balance of God’s Justice.[29] Nothing will remain hidden, as St. Alphonsus reminds us, and he also writes, “Consider the accusation and scrutiny: The judgment sat and the books were opened. (Dan. 7:10)…In the balance of divine justice…works only will have weight.” [30] As St. Paul wrote, “Each one will receive his pay, according to his works.” [31]

“Let us remember,” observes the catechism My Catholic Faith, “that even while the relatives gather around the bed of the departed one, even while his body is still warm, the particular judgment is gone through and finished; the judgment is passed, and the soul gone to his reward or punishment. If we remember this, we shall be more fervent in praying for the dead, in helping others die a happy death, so that they may meet God at the judgment without fear.” [32]

The Particular Judgment will give only one of two possible verdicts: eternal salvation or everlasting perdition. Salvation is for the soul who either dies in baptismal innocence, or has already offered complete reparation for confessed and absolved sins; such a soul will be sent at once to Heaven. The soul who dies in the state of grace but in venial sin, or who has not fully atoned for repented and confessed sins, is also among the saved; this soul will first make expiation in Purgatory (which is not, properly speaking, one of the four last things, because souls do not endure Purgatory forever). Last, the soul “who dies in mortal sin will be sent at once to hell.” [33]

“Eternity! Eternity! Heaven or Hell, one of the two we must choose by our lives,” exclaims the author of Charity for the Suffering Souls .[34] “For the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal.” [35]

Fr. Arminjon, whose written conferences so greatly inspired St. Therese the Little Flower, provides sound spiritual advice when he counseled, “Let us say with the prophet, ‘I consider the days of old; the years long past I remember.’[36] Let us judge ourselves severely, and we shall not be judged. Let us live with the Lord Jesus all the days of our life, and then we shall be freed from all fear, for there is no condemnation upon those who dwell with the Lord.” [37]

“Remember the last things, and you will never sin.” (Sirach 7:36)
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This article was first published in Catholic Family News, November 2010 issue. All Rights Reserved world-wide by the author.
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Notes

[1] St. Thomas More, The Four Last Things: The Supplication of Souls; A Dialogue on Conscience. [New York/Princeton, NJ: Scepter Publishers, 2002]: p. 12.
[2] Ibid., p. 22. [Emphasis in the original.]
[3] Fr. Charles Arminjon, The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life. [French original published 1881 under the title Fin du Monde Présent et Mystèries de la vie Future. English translation published in Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, English translation by Susan Conroy and Peter McEnerny 2008]: Foreward, p. xix.
[4] Matt. 7:13-14. (The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims version, with Challoner Revisions 1749-52; 1899 Edition of the John Murray Company).
[5] St. Jean Marie Vianney, Sermons of the Cure of Ars [Long Prairie, MN: The Neumann Press, 1995. Reprinted from the 1901 edition]: p. 290.
[6] Ps. 110:10.
[7] Ecclus. 1: 16.
[8] Baltimore Catechism and Mass, # 3 [Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America, 1949]: p. 71.
[9] St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Preparation for Death [Republished in Brooklyn, NY: Redemptoris Fathers, 1926]: pp. 126-127.
[10] More, op. cit., p.33.
[11] Baltimore Catechism #3, op. cit., p.32.
[12] Gen. 2:17, Rom. 5: 12.
[13] Baltimore Catechism #3, op. cit., p. 33.
[14] Canon George D. Smith et al, The Teaching of the Catholic Church, Vol. I [NY: The MacMillan Co., 1959): p. 323.
[15] Gen. 2: 15.
[16] Gen.2: 16-17.
[17] Gen. 3:5.
[18] Soph. 2:11.
[19] Most Rev. Louis LaRavoir Morrow, D.D., Bishop of Krishnagar, My Catholic Faith: A Manual of Religion [Kansas City, MO: Sarto House, 2003. Reprinted from the 1954 edition]: p. 41.
[20] Father Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C., The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell and Heaven [15th century manuscript republished in New York: Benziger Brothers, 1899]. Contributed by Derrick D’Costa to the Catholic Tradition website [http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things1d.htm]
[21] Jn. 11: 25-26.
[22] Heb. 9:27
[23] 2 Cor. 5:10; Jn. 9:4; Lk. 12:40; Lk. 16:19.
[24] Eccl. 1:13
[25] Fr. Martin von Cochem, op. cit. [http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things1e.htm]
[26] Lk., 16:22, Lk. 23:43, Acts 1:25.
[27] Jn. 5:22.
[28] St. Jerome, as cited by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, op. cit., p. 244.
[29] Matt. 12:36, Lk. 12:48.
[30] St. Alphonsus di Liguori, op. cit. p. 244.
[31] 1 Cor 3:8.
[32] Most Rev. Morrow, op.cit., p. 155.
[33] Ibid.
[34] Rev. John A. Nageleisen, Charity for the Suffering Souls: An Explanation of the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory [Rockford, IL: TAN Books & Publishers, 1982. Reprinted from the 1895 edition]: p. 5.
[35] 2 Cor. 4:18.
[36] Ps.77:6.
[37] Fr. Charles Arminjon, op. cit., pp. 107-108.

Friday, August 13, 2010

The Six Themes of the Third Secret of Fatima

(Part II of “Pope Benedict XVI Reveals:
The Third Secret is Spoken”)

When Pope Benedict XVI recently made a reserved admission that the Third Secret of Fatima is both spoken and shown, his words also served as a tactful invitation to re-examine the “whole truth about Fatima”[1] and its “Great Secret.”

The “Great Secret” of Fatima, given by Our Lady to three shepherd children on July 17, 1917, is generally known by its three distinct parts, which are distinguished as “the First Secret,” “the Second Secret,” and “the Third Secret.” As noted by Frère Michel of the Holy Trinity, together these three Secrets “form a consistent whole” which apply “first, to the salvation of souls; second, to the salvation of the nations and of Christendom, [through which God gives] the peace of the world; and third, to the preservation of the Catholic Faith and the salvation of the Church.” As Frere Michel also observed, “These three themes, which are joined by an indissoluble bond, reveal to us the extraordinary mystical, moral, political, ecclesial, and dogmatic implications of the Secret of Fatima.” [2]

The first two Secrets were revealed in the due course of time, but the Third Secret’s contents were studiously avoided and then suppressed by various members of the hierarchy. Although Our Lady intended it to be released to the entire Church and the world by 1960 or by Sr. Lucia’s death - whichever came first – it was not until the year 2000 that “the Vatican released a description of the Third Secret Vision, but not the Virgin’s words that pertain to it.” [3]

Although the Pope confirmed on May 11, 2010 what faithful Catholics familiar with Fatima have long understood – i.e., that the Third Secret of Fatima is, indeed, an explicit and grave verbal Message from the Mother of God - the media (especially the Catholic “mainstream”) continue to ignore what should be this decade’s top news story (which can only be topped by the wonderful announcement that the greatly hoped-for collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart has finally taken place). As Part I of this essay pointed out, “Pope Benedict XVI submitted a crucial piece of evidence that there is more to the Third Secret, when he unexpectedly admitted that “Beyond…the vision…it [the Third Secret] is spoken.” [4]

Therefore, let us continue to explore what is already known of the Third Secret’s contents by again highlighting the pertinent section of the May 11, 2010 in-flight interview, an exchange made in Italian while Pope Benedict XVI was en route to Fatima.

In choosing to answer a “Third Secret question,” which was really a three-part inquiry, the Holy Father unexpectedly revealed that the Third Secret consists of both a verbal Message from Our Lady as well as a Vision, as is shown by the dialog that follows:

[Author’s translation begins, with all emphasis mine]: “Holiness, what significance have we today for the apparitions of Fatima? And when you presented the text of the Third secret (sic), in the Vatican Press Office, in June 2000, it was asked if the Message could be extended [“broadened” or “widened”], beyond the attack on John Paul II, also to the additional [or “other”] sufferings of the popes? And is it possible, in your opinion [or “according to you”], to frame also in that vision the sufferings of the Church of today for the sins of the sexual abuse of minors?”[5]

Pope Benedict XVI’s Response: “Beyond this great vision of the suffering of the pope, which we might in essence attribute to John Paul II, there is indicated the reality of the future of the Church which [will] gradually develop and demonstrate [itself]. Namely [also rendered as either “That is” or “In other words”] it is true that beyond the moment indicated in the vision, it is spoken, it is shown [there is] the necessity of the passion of the Church which, naturally [or “of course”], is reflected in the person of the Pope, but the Pope is in the Church, and therefore it is the sufferings of the Church that are announced…” [End of author’s translation] [6]

The Pope then continued, “As for the new things we may find today in this message, it is also that the attacks on the Pope and the Church not always come from the outside, but the sufferings of the Church actually come from within the Church, from the sin that exists in the Church. This has always been known, but today we can see it in a really terrifying way: the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies, but it is from sin within the Church. And the Church now has a deep need to relearn penance, accept purification, learn to forgive, but also a need for justice...” [7]

The Third Secret
and Its Two Parts

In fact, when the Pope said the Third Secret is spoken and shown, his words correlate with other proofs that this last Secret is comprised of two parts. To cite only one example, this essay will momentarily turn to what was said decades ago by Fr. Joseph Schweigel. This priest, upon his return from an important mission given to him by Pope Pius II to question Sr. Lucia about unfulfilled parts of the Fatima Message (the Third Secret, the consecration of Russia, etc.) ,was momentarily questioned by a curious colleague about the Third Secret. Fr. Schweigel responded in the following manner:

“I cannot reveal anything of what I learned at Fatima concerning the third Secret, but I can say that it has two parts: one concerns the Pope. The other, logically – although I can say nothing – would have to be the continuation of the words: In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved.” [8]

The colleague pressed a little further, asking, “The present Pope or the next one?” However, as the interrogator himself attested in a written letter, “To this question, Fr. Schweigel made no reply.” [9]

Only a few years later, Fr. Schweigel would also say that the Third Secret “seems to suppose a victorious, triumphant, but difficult and heroic decision” of a Pope’s.[10] In considering the purpose of Fr. Schweigel’s papally-directed mission in questioning Sr. Lucia and in light of the tragic circumstances in which the Church Militant finds itself today, one can reasonably presume that, sometime in the future, a Pope will make a “difficult and heroic decision” under circumstances in which he faces vehement, if not physically violent, opposition to his unique prerogatives in his office as Vicar of Christ when he decides to comply with at least one, if not all, of Our Lady’s unfulfilled requests at Fatima.

Since Our Lady still awaits three particular actions to be made by the Pope and the bishops of the Catholic Church, it appears that Fr. Schweigel’s description of a “victorious, triumphant, but difficult and heroic decision,” made by the present Pope or a future one, lends further insight into Our Lady’s promise, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

What are these three things in which the Queen of the Catholic City so gently insists? First, Our Lady first asks the Pope to command (not invite) and lead the world’s bishops in a public and solemn collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Second, the Virgin Mary also desires the release the complete Third Secret Message (which will then make clear the meaning of the Third Secret Vision). Third, the Pope must promulgate the Five First Saturday devotions, which are acts of reparation for five specific blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Six “Themes” of the Third Secret

What must never be forgotten is that the last Secret of Fatima, like the first Two Secrets, is intended by God to be publicly disseminated to the entire Church and likewise followed, for it also is given for the salvation of souls living in these days of great peril. To insist on the release of the Third Secret and the other two things for which the Virgin Mary asks is neither a matter of satisfying mere curiosity or of overly sentimental piety; these are matters of obedience to God Himself, Who sent the Immaculate Virgin Mother to Fatima with an apocalyptic warning and the means to avoid it.

To grasp the general idea “of what” the Third Secret consists, it is entirely appropriate to attentively review an earlier disclosure by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, made almost twenty-one years before he became the Pope.

In a 1984 interview with Vittorio Messori, Cardinal Ratzinger was asked if he had read the Third Secret of Fatima. When he answered, “Yes, I have read it,” it was then inquired as to why the Secret had still not been released. A careful examination of the future pope’s answer reveals a total of six “themes” to the Third Secret:

“Because, according to the judgment of the Popes, it adds nothing (literally: “nothing different”) to what a Christian must know concerning what derives from Revelation: i.e., a radical call for conversion; the absolute importance of history; the dangers threatening the faith and the life of the Christian, and therefore of the world. And then the importance of the 'Novissimi' [the last events at the end of time]. If it is not made public - at least for the time being - it is in order to prevent religious prophecy from being mistaken for a quest for the sensational (literally: 'for sensationalism'). But the things contained in this 'Third Secret' correspond to what has been announced in Scripture and has been said again and again in many other Marian apparitions, beginning with the Fatima apparitions in their known contents. Conversion and penitence are the essential conditions for ‘salvation.’” [11]

Since Cardinal Ratzinger spoke of the “Novissimi” (the last events at the end of time), one might ask: “Might these six themes of the Third Secret direct our attention to one or more of the ‘six signs’ of the last times, given by Christ Himself?” [12]

When Our Lord prophesied to His apostles the destruction of Jerusalem (which occurred in 69 A.D. but also serves as a figure-type for the end of the world), He said:

“These things which you see, the days will come in which there shall not be left a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying: Master, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when they shall begin to come to pass? Who said: Take heed you be not seduced; for many will come in my name, saying, I am he; and the time is at hand: go ye not therefore after them. And when you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified: these things must first come to pass; but the end is not yet presently. Then he said to them: Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places, and pestilences, and famines, and terrors from heaven; and there shall be great signs.” [13] Those last (bolded) words of Our Lord’s are the last six events of the end times.

Consider, then, the six themes found in Cardinal Ratzinger’s disclosure about the Third Secret’s contents:

1.) The Third Secret of Fatima adds “nothing different to… what derives from Revelation” (of which the two sources are Tradition and Scripture). Of course, this remark might be considered superfluous, because the Church cannot approve any apparition or locution as “worthy of belief” unless it is in perfect accord with Divine Revelation. However, if a Church-approved revelation adds “nothing” different…from Revelation,” then it must be derived from either Tradition or Scripture – or both.

2.) The Third Secret is a “radical” (i.e., a drastic, profound, or extreme) call for conversion and penance. As the Church’s long history proves, whenever God chose to make such a “radical” call through His chosen prophets, that same call was always intended to be given to His people for their salvation. God’s message to a prophet is never solely intended for the prophet alone.

Furthermore, with one exceptional case, never in all of our “sacred history” has God given an inexplicable Vision to a prophet without also making clear its meaning. That one exception is St. John the Evangelist, who was commanded by God, “What thou seest write in a book, and send to the seven churches…”[14] As we know, the beloved disciple also wrote what he heard in that same collection of writings, now known as the Apocalypse. This singular exception also reminds us that Sr. Lucia herself said of the Third Secret, “It’s in the Gospels and the Apocalypse – Read them!”

3.) The Third Secret refers to “the absolute importance of history,” which the Church refers to as either “sacred history” or “salvation history.” Sacred history “centers on two things: The Incarnation of Christ, when Our Lord came to offer Redemption and Mercy to fallen mankind, and His Second Coming, when He will come as Just Judge.” [15] Sacred history records the unfolding of events, which depend on mankind’s acceptance or rejection of God’s Will.

4.) The Third Secret alerts the Church and the world “to the dangers threatening the Faith, the life of the Christian, and therefore the world.” Surely the nature of these unknown threats is most grave, since Cardinal Ratzinger appeared to suggest their essence in the next point.

5.) The Third Secret relates “the importance of the Novissimi,” a theological term with two “simultaneous” definitions: the four “last things” as they pertain to every human soul (death, judgment, heaven, hell) and “the last things” (meaning the last events at the end of time), in which all peoples will witness the Second Coming of Christ, the universal judgment, and the literal ending of the material world. The Novissimi could also pertain to the time immediately preceding Christ’s Second Coming – the days of the great apostasy, foretold by St. Paul, which are then followed by the “son of perdition,” who is called Anti-Christ.

6.) Although it could (as in "might be") be mistaken for sensationalism, the Third Secret is a “religious prophecy corresponding to Scripture and confirmed by many other Marian apparitions,” beginning with the Fatima revelations in their known contents.

This last point is Cardinal Ratzinger’s final affirmation that the Third Secret is in accord with Scripture (and also corresponds with Sr. Lucia’s declaration, mentioned previously, that the Third Secret is in the Gospels and the Apocalypse) – but it is also confirmed as well by other “private” Marian revelations, starting with what is already publicly known of Fatima. The Cardinal summarized these Church-approved apparitions by stating them in their most basic but essential message: “Conversion and penitence are the essential conditions for ‘salvation.’”

Finally, of the relatively few Church-approved Marian revelations since the time of Fatima, it was Cardinal Ratzinger who said that the two messages of Fatima and Akita (with its very serious subject matter, including warnings of an apocalyptic nature) “are essentially the same.”

In considering all that he knows, it is no small wonder that Pope Benedict XVI said on May 13, 2010 (the 93rd anniversary of the first Fatima apparition):

“We would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete.”

~+~+~+~
Secrets of the Catholic City is Marianna Bartold's column, published by Catholic Family News (CFN). "The Six Themes of the Third Secret of Fatima" was published in CFN's August 2010 issue. All Rights Reserved World-wide by the author.~+~+~+~

Marianna Bartold, founder of Keeping It Catholic, is the author of “The Age of Mary” Study Guides, a series of “digitally delivered” Catholic unit studies for homeschooled teens - as well as adults or anyone who wishes to grow closer “to Jesus through Mary.” Her other works include the upcoming digital Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings) Catholic Study Guide. She is the author of the Keeping It Catholic Home Education Guide books (Volumes I and II). Mrs. Bartold was the original homeschool editor of Sursum Corda and the founding publisher of The Catholic Family’s Magnificat! Magazine.
~+~+~+~

Notes
1. The author here employs as a phrase the title of the magnificently written and well-documented, three-volume work by Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth of Fatima: Volumes I, II, and III.

2. Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth about Fatima: The Secret and the Church, Vol. II [Buffalo: New York, Revised edition published 2001]: pp. 9-10.

3. Marianna Bartold, "Pope Benedict XVI Reveals: The Third Secret is Spoken," Catholic Family News, July 2010.

4. Ibid.

5. The question asked of the pope; English translation by the author (M. Bartold) from the original Italian article by Gian Guido Vecchi, “Le Parole del papa: <>,” Corriere della Sera, May 11, 2010. [Emphasis added] The original inquiry, in Italian, was phrased as follows: “Santità, quali significato hanno oggi per noi le apparizioni di Fatima? E quando lei presentò il testo del Terzo segreto, nella stampa vaticana, nel giugno 2000, le fu chiesto se il messaggio poteva essere esteso, al di là dell’attentato a Giovanni Paolo II, anche alle altre sofferenze dei papi. È possibile secondo lei, inquadrare anche in quella visione le sofferenze della Chiesa di oggi per i peccati degli abusi sessuali sui minori?”

6. The Pope’s response; English translation by the author (M. Bartold) from the original Italian article by Gian Guido Vecchi, loc. cit. Pope Benedict’s original response, in Italian, was phrased as follows: “Oltre questa grande visione della sofferenza del Papa, che possiamo in sostanza riferire a Giovanni Paolo II sono indicate realtà del futuro della Chiesa che man mano si sviluppano e si mostrano. Cioè è vero che oltre il momento indicato nella visione, si parla, si vede la necessità di una passione della Chiesa, che naturalmente si riflette nella persona del Papa, ma il Papa sta nella Chiesa e quindi sono sofferenze della Chiesa che si annunciano.”

7. John Vennari, “Pope Resurrects Third Secret,” posted on Catholic Family News website, May 19, 2010, at [http://www.cfnews.org/b16-3rd-sec.htm] and subsequently published in the June hard-copy issue of Catholic Family News. [Emphasis added.]

8. Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth about Fatima: The Third Secret, Vol. III [Buffalo: New York, Revised edition published 2001]: p. 710. [Emphasis added.]

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid., p. 351, footnote 39.

12. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as quoted by Vittorio Messori, “Here is Why the Faith is in Crisis,” Jesus Magazine, November 11, 1984: p. 79. [Emphasis added]

12. Marianna Bartold, “Fatima’s Miracle of the Sun: The Meaning of the Great Sign,” Catholic Family News, October 2008. [Link to article on this blog.]

13. Lk. 21: 6-11. [Emphasis added.]

14. Apoc. 1:11.

15. Bartold, loc. cit.

16. Catholic World News, October 11, 2001. Howard Dee, the former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican, revealed in 1998 that “Bishop Ito was certain Akita was an extension of Fatima, and Cardinal Ratzinger personally confirmed to me that these two messages are essentially the same.”

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Third Secret of Fatima is Spoken

Pope Benedict XVI Reveals:
The Third Secret is Spoken
by Marianna Bartold

(This article,which was published in the July 2010 issue of Catholic Family News, is both a 'follow-up' and a greatly expanded version of my original blog post of May 27.)

Three simple but remarkable words in Pope Benedict XVI’s recent and surprising commentary on Fatima reveal that there is more to the Third Secret than a startling but inexplicable Vision. A careful examination of the Pope’s response to a question, asked and answered in Italian, show that - not once, but twice – His Holiness made clear that the Third Secret is also spoken. [1]

Flying en route to Portugal on May 11, 2010, Pope Benedict made a crucial revelation to a group of journalists, the press corps of the papal entourage. As is the usual practice, Vatican protocol asks correspondents who will travel with the Pope to submit their questions - days in advance. [2]

Of all the inquiries, the Pope chose to answer only three, all of which were formally presented by Vatican spokesman Fr. Frederico Lombardi. On the same day, the complete question-and-answer session (an exchange made and published in Italian) was quickly transcribed by journalist Gian Guido Vecchi for Corriere della Sera. [3]

As it turned out, the last of these pre-selected questions was actually a three-part inquiry about the Fatima apparitions and the Third Secret, the last of three distinct parts of “the Great Secret” given by the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children on July 13, 1917 - 93 years ago.

In comparing the various English renditions of the on-board press conference, one will find a few inaccuracies or mis-translations. To a certain degree, this is understandable, as any translator would attest. On the other hand, some things lost in translation are too important to lose.

What follows, then, is my literal translation [4] from Italian-to-English of the Fatima/Third Secret question and the incredibly relevant section of the Pope’s response (all following emphasis mine):

[Author’s translation begins, with all emphasis mine]: “Holiness, what significance have we today for the apparitions of Fatima? And when you presented the text of the Third secret (sic), in the Vatican Press Office, in June 2000, it was asked if the Message could be extended [“broadened” or “widened”], beyond the attack on John Paul II, also to the additional [or “other”] sufferings of the popes? And is it possible, in your opinion [or “according to you”], to frame also in that vision the sufferings of the Church of today for the sins of the sexual abuse of minors?”

Pope Benedict XVI’s Response: “Beyond this great vision of the suffering of the pope, which we might in essence attribute to John Paul II, there is indicated the reality of the future of the Church which [will] gradually develop and demonstrate [itself]. Namely [also rendered as either “That is” or “In other words”] it is true that beyond the moment indicated in the vision, it is spoken, it is shown [there is] the necessity of the passion of the Church which, naturally [or “of course”], is reflected in the person of the Pope, but the Pope is in the Church, and therefore it is the sufferings of the Church that are announced…” [End of author’s translation]

As reported earlier in Catholic Family News, the remainder of this substantial section of the Pope’s response to the Third Secret question is as follows, “As for the new things we may find today in this message, it is also that the attacks on the Pope and the Church not always come from the outside, but the sufferings of the Church actually come from within the Church, from the sin that exists in the Church. This has always been known, but today we can see it in a really terrifying way: the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies, but it is from sin within the Church. And the Church now has a deep need to relearn penance, accept purification, learn to forgive, but also a need for justice.”

In those preceding words, one discerns a slight echo of Pope St. Pius X in his landmark encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis, on the doctrine of the modernists: “…they put into operation their designs for her undoing, not from without but from within. Hence, the danger is present almost in the very veins and heart of the Church, whose injury is the more certain from the very fact that their knowledge of her is more intimate.”

The Third Secret: “It is spoken…”

• First, closer attention must be paid to the pivotal sentence: “Namely, it is true that beyond the moment indicated in the vision, it is spoken (the briefest pause, almost as if the Holy Father caught himself), it is shown…” and later in the same sentence he stated “…it is the sufferings of the Church that are announced.” [7]

In highlighting that one sentence alone, Pope Benedict XVI made a staggering and critical revelation. Ten years ago, [10] the Vatican released a description of the Third Secret Vision, but not the Virgin’s words that pertain to it.

Since that time, less than a handful of influential Vatican prelates insist there is nothing left to reveal of the Third Secret. The controversy simmered until 2005, when it heated up with an illuminating series of events – the history of which can be found in two books, The Fourth Secret of Fatima by Antonio Socci and The Secret Still Hidden by Christopher Ferrara, Esq.

Then, just two months ago in May 2010, Pope Benedict XVI submitted a crucial piece of evidence that there is more to the Third Secret, when he unexpectedly admitted that “beyond…the vision…it [the Third Secret] is spoken.”

• Second, one critical fact cannot be forgotten: Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope to ascend the papal throne, already possessing full knowledge of the Third Secret of Fatima. [11]

In light of the fact that Benedict XVI has had at least 27 years (if not longer) to ponder the full Third Secret, the manner in which the Pope expressed himself on May 11, 2010 indicates either a purposefully discreet admission or a momentary slip.

A brief recap: During a 1984 interview, the current Pope – then Cardinal Ratzinger – disclosed that he had already read the Third Secret. However, he did not say when or under what circumstances the Secret was made known to him. It was also in 1984 that Cardinal Ratzinger, when asked why the Third Secret had still not been revealed, provided an amazing six-point summary of its contents, a topic to which this essay shall later return. [12]
• Third, the specific inquiry about the Third Secret initially asked “if the Message could be extended…to the additional sufferings of the popes.”

Initially, it should be noted that Pope Benedict did not object to the plural word, “popes.” Moreover, the Holy Father’s reply also reveals that the pope of the Third Secret Vision is not necessarily the late Pope John Paul II: “Beyond this great vision of the suffering of the pope, which we might in essence attribute to John Paul II…”

The entire “Great Secret,” in fact, addresses the role of the Holy Father many times. The papacy is absolutely central to complete the Virgin Mary’s requests to and for the Church. While the Secret concerns (meaning “is of concern to”) the Holy Father, it is not only about the Holy Father. These two points are made clear by Our Lady’s words in the Second Fatima Secret, by Heaven’s later and repeated insistence to Sr. Lucia, and – logically – by the hidden text of the Third Secret, which the Virgin wanted revealed to the world no later than 1960.

The “person of the pope,” mentioned by Benedict XVI, means the individual in the office of the papacy, whether past, present, or future. Uncomfortable as it is to admit, the “other sufferings of the popes” is of their own tragic making, due to their purposefully obtuse refusal to obey the explicit commands of God, given by Our Lady of Fatima.

Furthermore, John Paul II was not the only pope to be victimized by a murderous attack. The Holy Father seen in the Third Secret Vision “is killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him.” [13] Surely, Benedict XVI knows “the attack in 1981 [an assassination attempt made against John Paul II] stands with respect to that vision exactly as the other attempts suffered by popes – for example, the attack on Paul VI on November 27, 1970, when he was stabbed in the abdomen by a lunatic in Manila.” [14]

Still, even in hindsight, no Vatican prelate attributed the lethal attempt against Paul VI as a fulfillment of the Third Secret, but only to John Paul II. Now Benedict’s recent words refute that interpretation.

• Fourth, Pope Benedict XVI never clarified that the Third Secret’s indicated “reality of the future of the Church” is conditional, whether for good or for evil.

In accord with Divine Revelation, the Virgin Mary qualified these conditions in the Second Part of “the Great Fatima Secret”: “If what I say to you is done…”, “To prevent this…”, and “If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace” – but, “If not, she [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions against the Church. The good will be martyred. The Holy Father will have much to suffer. Various nations will be annihilated.” [15]

Our Lady’s words, then and later, left no doubt of God’s will. In fact, due to the incomplete 1942 consecration of Russia made by Pope Pius XII, Sr. Lucia “would say more than once, and with deliberate emphasis, ‘What Our Lady wants is that the Pope and all the bishops in the world shall consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart on one special day. If this is done, She will convert Russia and there will be peace. If it is not done, the errors of Russia will spread through every country in the world.’” [16]

In July 1917, the Mother of God also promised, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace [era of peace, in another translation] will be granted to the world.” [17]

This is the promise in which all must keep hope.

As credible Fatima scholars agree, the Promise concludes the Second Secret, and the Third Secret begins with Our Lady’s next sentence, “In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved, etc.” – the etc. added by Sr. Lucia, who indicated that more words followed.
• Fifth, Benedict XVI said there is “need for the passion of the Church, which naturally reflects itself on the person of the pope…”

To the contrary, it was precisely to avoid this ongoing passion (beginning with the post-WWI era) that Our Lady came to Fatima, there to warn against many future dangers and give the means to avert them all.

Again, the Virgin at Fatima repeatedly emphasized through her requests and prophecies (especially in the still unexplained but ominous Third Secret Vision) that the present and future are fully dependent upon the Church’s fidelity to Divine Revelation. That fidelity, however, depends on “the person of the pope,” the man whose office is entrusted by God with the duty and obligation to guard the Deposit of Faith and faithfully transmit it to Christ’s flock.

In the words of the great saint, Pope St. Pius X, “One of the primary obligations assigned by Christ to the office divinely committed to Us of feeding the Lord's flock is that of guarding with the greatest vigilance the deposit of the faith delivered to the saints, rejecting the profane novelties of words and the gainsaying of knowledge falsely so called.” [18]

Tragically, waning papal vigilance has marked the past decades of Church history. God, Who knows all things, foresaw the failure of those hierarchs who simply would not wholly fulfill all of Heaven’s directives given at Fatima. Part of Lucia’s mission was to transmit God’s commands to the hierarchy, which they in turn were to fulfill for the benefit of the universal Church and the world.

From the beginning, however, her first superior, Bishop de Silva, repeatedly rejected the responsibility of the Third Secret placed upon him. This bishop was given the authority to read and disseminate the Third Secret, but he obstinately refused. [19]

As a result, various misunderstandings and capitulations rippled throughout the hierarchy in regard to many important facets of Fatima. The consecrations of Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II were incomplete; the other popes (Pius XI, John XXIII, Paul VI) did not even make the attempt. It appears that Benedict XVI also has no intention of commanding and leading the required collegial consecration.

An appropriate observation was made by Antonio Socci, author of The Fourth Secret of Fatima, who wrote, “All of the history of Fatima and of this century resides in this dramatic incapacity of Peter, of the men of the Church, and of humanity to entrust themselves fully to She who is ‘omnipotent by grace' – the incapacity to trust in Her truly and totally, almost as if the possibility of salvation could come from Peter (alone) by his own initiatives, from Vatican politics.”

• Sixth, Benedict XVI subsequently remarked, “…but the Pope is in the Church, and therefore it is the sufferings of the Church that are announced.” These words accomplish two things: 1) they make a second verification that the Third Secret is also spoken, and 2) they express a vital truth of Catholic doctrine regarding the Pope and the Church.

Jesus Christ said to the first pope, “And I say to thee: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [20]

Since the meaning of individual words is significant, this essay now turns to the connotation of the word “church,” as explained by the Catholic priest and scholar, Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton:

“What Our Lord promised, and what He actually accomplished, was thus the continuation of a social unit which had been in existence since the beginnings of the human race, but a continuation of this unit in a new status and under new conditions. In this new status, the ecclesia was to be established or founded upon St. Peter. In other words, this man and his successors were to be the source of the unity and stability of this ecclesia of the new dispensation. The society of Our Lord’s disciples was the ‘Church’ of the new dispensation. It was and, until the end of time, it will continue to be the assembly of the chosen people, the people of the covenant, the kingdom of God in this world. By reason of its association with Our Lord, it is designated as His Mystical Body.” [21]

With this definition in mind, the entire Church – from the Holy Father to the laity - must recall the great yet terrible “secret of the Catholic City,” as it is taught in the infallible Scriptures:

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it.” [22]

(To be continued with "The Six Themes of the Third Secret of Fatima," published in the August issue of Catholic Family News - and which will also be published on this blog on August 13, 2010.)

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Secrets of the Catholic City is Marianna Bartold's column, published by Catholic Family News (CFN). This article was published under its original title, "Pope Benedict XVI Reveals: The Third Secret is Spoken" in CFN's July 2010 issue. All Rights Reserved World-wide by the author.

Marianna Bartold, founder of Keeping It Catholic, is the author of “The Age of Mary” Study Guides, a series of “digitally delivered” Catholic unit studies for homeschooled teens - as well as adults or anyone who wishes to grow closer “to Jesus through Mary.” Her other works include the upcoming digital Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings) Catholic Study Guide. She is the author of the Keeping It Catholic Home Education Guide books (Volumes I and II). Mrs. Bartold was the original homeschool editor of Sursum Corda and the founding publisher of The Catholic Family’s Magnificat! Magazine.
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Notes
1. Marianna Bartold, “Pope Benedict on the Third Secret: ‘It is Spoken,’” Keeping It Catholic – The Blog!, May 27, 2010 at

[http://keepingitcatholic.blogspot.com/2010/05/pope-benedict-on-third-secret-it-is.html]

2. John L. Allen, Jr., “On the Crisis, Benedict Changes the Tone,” May 11, 2010, National Catholic Reporter website at [http://ncronline.org/blogs/examining-crisis/crisis-benedict-xvi-changes-tone].

3. Gian Guido Vecchi, “Le Parole del papa: ‘Nonostante la famose nuvola siami qui…’”, Corriere della Sera, May 11, 2010.

4. Please note that, in order to make better sense of the exact English-language translation, bracketed words or phrases in my translation indicate either an alternative meaning of the preceding word or phrase, or a necessary grammatical English structure not explicitly expressed in the original Italian.

5. English translation by the author (M. Bartold) from the original Italian article by Gian Guido Vecchi, “Le Parole del papa: <>,” Corriere della Sera, May 11, 2010. [Emphasis added] The original inquiry, in Italian, was phrased as follows: “Santità, quali significato hanno oggi per noi le apparizioni di Fatima? E quando lei presentò il testo del Terzo segreto, nella stampa vaticana, nel giugno 2000, le fu chiesto se il messaggio poteva essere esteso, al di là dell’attentato a Giovanni Paolo II, anche alle altre sofferenze dei papi. È possibile secondo lei, inquadrare anche in quella visione le sofferenze della Chiesa di oggi per i peccati degli abusi sessuali sui minori?”

6. English translation by the author (M. Bartold) from the original Italian article by Gian Guido Vecchi, loc. cit. Pope Benedict’s original response, in Italian, was phrased as follows: “Oltre questa grande visione della sofferenza del Papa, che possiamo in sostanza riferire a Giovanni Paolo II sono indicate realtà del futuro della Chiesa che man mano si sviluppano e si mostrano. Cioè è vero che oltre il momento indicato nella visione, si parla, si vede la necessità di una passione della Chiesa, che naturalmente si riflette nella persona del Papa, ma il Papa sta nella Chiesa e quindi sono sofferenze della Chiesa che si annunciano.”

7. John Vennari, “Pope Resurrects Third Secret,” posted on Catholic Family News website, May 19, 2010, at [http://www.cfnews.org/b16-3rd-sec.htm] and subsequently published in the June hard-copy issue of Catholic Family News. [Emphasis added.]

8. Pope Pius X, “Pascendi Dominici Gregis” (On the Doctrines of the Modernists, September 8, 1907): para. 3.

9. Emphasis added.

10. “The Message of Fatima,” Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 26, 2010.

11. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was interviewed by Vittorio Messori on August 15, 1984. It was on this date that he admitted he had read the Third Secret, although he never stated when he read it, so he may have known of its contents a number of years before the 1984 interview. The interview was later published in Jesus magazine, November 1984.

12. Cardinal Ratzinger’s synopsis of the Third Secret will be elaborated in Part 2 of this work.

13. “The Message of Fatima,” loc. cit.

14. Antonio Socci, The Fourth Secret of Fatima [Loreto Publications: Fitzwilliam, NH]: p. 33.

15. Frère Michel, The Whole Truth about Fatima, Vol. II: The Secret and the Church [Buffalo, NY: Immaculate Heart Publications]: pp. 281-282.

16. William Thomas Walsh, Our Lady of Fatima (Image Book published by Doubleday: May 1990, reprinted from the first Image edition published in 1954 by special arrangement with The Macmillan Company.): p. 221.

17. Sister Mary Lucia of the Immaculate Heart, Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words: Sister Lucia’s Memoirs [Fatima, Portugal: Postulation Centre, 1976]: p. 165.

18. Pope Pius X, loc. cit., para. 1.

19. The details of these events are fully documented in the monumental works of Frère Michel, The Whole Truth about Fatima, Volumes I, II, and III. One particular example of Bishop de Silva’s refusal is found in Vol. II, The Secret and the Church [Buffalo, NY: Immaculate Heart Publications, Revised Edition 2001]: p. 40.

20. Matt. 16:18. The Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims Version. [Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1899 edition photographically reproduced].

21. Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton, “The Meaning of the Name ‘Church,’” The American Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. CXXXI, No. 4, October 1954: p. 272.

22. Ps. 126:1.