Whispers in the Loggia reminds us:
“…it was year ago tonight when, not far from where I’m sitting now, I got to behold a beautiful, almost magic experience unfolding in these streets.
The Big PopeTrip to the nation’s capital and this “capital of the world.”
Jesus I Trust In You
Jesus revealed to St. Faustina that the Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when “all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened”. (Diary 699)
Jesus promised that “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”(Diary 699) He went on to say “I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.” (Diary 1109)
Jesus said to St. Faustina “I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You”. (Diary 327) “The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.” (Diary 299)
Speaking of “Divine Mercy Sunday”, Jesus said “…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet…. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy”. (Diary 699)
Amazing as it is Father Basil Clark, who watched the show from Broxburn, Scotland, was not surprised when Susan Boyle amazed all of England and the world . As reported by the Catholic News Service:
“He has seen the situation unfold many times before, having regularly accompanied Boyle, 47, on the annual Legion of Mary pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland. “When I watched the judges’ faces it reminded me of what I was like when I first saw Susan singing — absolutely blown away by the quality of the singing and by that fantastic voice,” said Father Clark, dean of West Lothian, the district that covers Boyle’s home village of Blackburn.”
CNS said that in a interview on CBS’s The EarlyShow, Susan said,that because her mother had encouraged her to sing, she wanted to make her performance
“a tribute to my mother.”
“I knew it was something I had to do,” she said. “I had to get on with it. That’s where the courage came from, my mother.
“The ones who made fun of me are now nice to me,” she said. “So, I think I may have won them ’round.”
Susan Boyle singing I Dreamed a Dream on “Britain’s Got Talent 2009″
The Anchoress says it so beautifully:
We are fascinated with Susan Boyle, because she reveals to us the world of possibilities we too often leave unexplored, within ourselves. We dare to think…has God kissed me, too?
Let us seek out what that kiss may have wrought, uncover it, celebrate it, thank God for it, even if the world finds those gifts less fascinating than the duckling/swan story of Susan Boyle. Small greatnesses add up, and they support whole worlds.
Before Mother Teresa’s mission began, she wrote a letter to Archbishop Perier in April of 1947, explaining God’s insistent call as she was experiencing it. “Come Be My Light” the Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta”, contains that letter. In it are these words that Jesus spoke to Mother Teresa:
“The thirst you had for souls brought you so far. Are you afraid to take one more step for your Spouse, for Me, for Souls? Is your generosity grown cold? Am I a second to you? You did not die for souls – that is why you don’t care what happens to them. Your heart has never drowned in sorrow as it was My Mother’s. We both gave our all for souls… and you?”
I am relieved Jesus hasn’t addressed these words to me. They break my heart. Then I think, oh, but He has. Each day, we are all challenged to be Christ for someone, “I give you a new commandment. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another.” John 13: 34 Taking one more step for my Spouse – for Jesus – for souls…what would that be for me – in my life?
Divine Mercy Novena
Day 9
“Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.”Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.
Today’s Gospel: John 21: 1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
Gone fishin’! Peter needed a break. Getting back to the familiar seemed the thing to do. The other disciples followed the leader. It wasn’t really what they wanted. They wanted the Lord as evidenced by Peter being so besides himself at the realization that the man on shore was Jesus that He dressed for the occasion, putting clothes on to jump into the water.
I love this Gospel. Once more we see the humanity of Peter and the boys. This was the third time Jesus had to call on them to assure, reassure and otherwise comfort them. I can relate!
This would be funny if it didn’t make you want to cry. James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal reports what Abe Greenwald in an article for the New York Times that passes for serious commentary wrote about Pirate Blowback:
“This is pirate blowback! Did the president think we could use billion-dollar equipment to shoot some raggedy ransom-seekers out of their rowboat without inviting retaliation? By flaunting our material superiority we merely whet their appetites for treasure. And by demonstrating that we value one American life more than three Somali lives we’ve turned a handful of desperate thieves into a sympathetic movement with recruitment potential.
And all for the sake of one seized ship??? . . . Let’s face it: on Sunday, we only created more pirates.”
Are we seriously to think, we should not police or defend anything for fear of stifling young aspiring pirates? I guess I never understood why we needed a President to “sign off” on an action to save a man’s life clearly threated by a gun at his head.
Cambodia and Viet Nam can attest to the damage and serious threat to life and limb that guns in the hands of the young and misguided can do. Where are the adult and serious thinkers in the media?
Divine Mercy Novena
Day 8
“Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Not your ordinary latte or barista.
Here’s a treat for animal lovers.
The Anchoress writes: Why Susan Boyle matters so much.
I’ve given it is some thought, too. My take goes like this. We all feel at some level like nobodies in need of affirmation. Some of us live our entire lives trying hard, but unsure even of our successes. I know my strengths, but they are not necessarily in demand. Sometimes, I’m the only one clapping, and then again, I wonder why I bother at all. As long as we’re living, as long as we’re still trying, at least, we are in the game. We haven’t given up. Now, to me, Susan is like Judgment Day. Finally, we find out Someone is aware; Someone notices; Someone is clapping loudly and eternally.
I hope and pray Susan doesn’t get messed up since she is so beautiful just as she is.
Listen again
They came, not as a mob but as individual citizens, one by one.
They were not the privileged few but the America of old, some tried, some tired, some little noticed, all true. They came, the grateful of the Nation, privileged only in that this Nation keeps them free.
They came, the young, with a touch class and a bit of flash.
They came, the younger still, with hearts and flags and wishes.
They came, determined and undeterred.
Flag- draped and be-signed, they gathered.
With humor and with gravity….
They raised the Nation’s voice.
Eloquent in its simplicity……
Commanding in its brevity!
They came, one by one.
Not without a message….
Not without surity…….
Not without encouragement….
Not without support…….
They gathered, one by one, until they were a people gathered as one.
Really great turn outs and more photos from Michelle Malkin
Divine Mercy Novena
Day 7
Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:
Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
Contemptuous CNN
Allahpundit thankyou for showing us CNN with their teeth bared and as we’ve come to know them.
Americans took to the street across the Nation. Was Washington listening or hiding out? I saw lots of people and no one admitting to be a politician. Now that the people have found their voice perhaps Washington will wake up and listen. Our country needs statesmen who remember their oaths of office, the Constitution and the American people whom they service.
I was told there was a school guard prepared to show their colors for this event. They had to back-out contrary to their desires because they were told the Tea Party demonstrations were anti-government.
There were plenty of flags flown and worn and no shortage of people and spirit. Horns blared and drivers-by gave thumbs up in full support. The police were absent from the event. Organizers were told they couldn’t be spared for the Tea Party event; budget restrictions, you know? If only Washington could be so fiscally responsible. I did see a police car amid the drivers-by. He honked too!!
Praise God in Whom we trust and God bless America!
Ed Morrissey says the writing is on the wall.
Michelle Malkin has grassroots history of Tea Parties 2009 and great pictures of the events across the Nation.
More great party pictures from Glenn Reynolds
Michelle Malkin is making it easy to catch up on tea party history and doings for MSM who may have missed its grassroots beginnings.
Feb. 15: Keli Carender, who blogs as “Liberty Belle” spread the word about a grass-roots protest she was organizing in Seattle to raise her voice against the passage of the trillion-dollar stimulus/porkulus/Generational Theft Act of 2009. It’s the first time she had ever jumped into political organizing of any kind. She is not affiliated with any “corporate lobbyist” or think tank or national taxpayers’ organization. She’s a young conservative mom who blogs. Amazingly, she turned around the event in a few days all on her own by reaching out on the Internet, to her local talk station, and to anyone who would listen.
Feb. 16: An energetic crowd of about 100 people came downtown to lambaste the Chicken Little process and the lard-up of the stimulus bill:
Word of the Seattle protest spread across the blogosphere. Readers suggested there should be a Denver protest on Feb. 17 to greet President Obama for the porkulus signing. Separately, the local chapter of Americans for Prosperity was already working to put something together on the fly. I met the head of the state AFP for the first time on the steps of the Capitol. No conspiracy here, tinfoil hatters. It was a union of like minds in an impromptu show of outrage against the legislation-without-deliberation process in Washington. Also there: Jon Caldara of the libertarian Independence Institute on one end of the spectrum and Tom Tancredo on the strict immigration enforcement end (hundreds of the protesters were mad about the absence of E-Verify standards for the stimulus funding):
More big-money conspiracy! I promised to bring a roasted pig. Paid for out of pocket. No corporate lobbyist pitched in. Tasted great and worth every penny:
Speaking of pigs, you can’t leave out the tax-and-spend revolt campaign against Chuck Schumer in response to his arrogant statement that only the “chattering classes” cared about the “teeny, tiny” pork amendments in the Generational Theft Act. Local radio host Leland Conway in Kentucky called on listeners to send Schumer pork rinds. A mountain of 1,500 bags poured into the station on Feb. 16 and was shipped to Schumer:
The history unfolds here
and we can’t forget Santelli’s rant which tapped the American pulse:
We are no longer fighting the real enemy, TERRORISM. The present administration is vilifying those who serve our country with its new hit piece- the DHS document Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment
“The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of
military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.”
Ed Morrissey reports: American Legion to Napolitano: Apologize
Of all the smears listed in the new DHS warning about “right-wing extremism,” none are more dastardly and despicable than the insinuation that returning military veterans represent a security threat to the nation they willingly served. The Commander of the American Legion has sent the following letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano explaining to her that military veterans are not the enemy
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
10th Amendment Center give us these as well:
10th Amendment Resolution Introduced in Wisconsin
Pleading the 10th in Georgia
- Serving Notice in New Mexico
- Sovereignty for Ohio
- Alaska Resolution: Sovereignty Under the 10th Amendment
- Michigan: The Confines and Original Intent
Divine Mercy Novena
Day 6
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Lioness feed
