“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”(Mark 8;34)

The whole world had the same language and the same words. When they were migrating from the east, they came to a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. Then the LORD said:” If now, while they are one people, and all have the same language, they have started to do this, nothing they presume to do will be out of their reach. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that no one will understand the speech of another.” So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. (Genesis 11:1-8)

The history of humankind recorded in Holy Scripture is full of stories of man disappointing God. Eve after her conversation with the snake consumed with Adam the forbidden fruit. Cain out of jealousy attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Each consecutive generation was drifting further from God, falling from His favor by their disobedience and sinful actions to the point that God decided to clean up the face of the earth of human through a great flood. God promised that there will be no second flood like at the days of Noah, and He is doing what is necessary to avoid it.

Today as a consequence of man trying to build another tower of Babel we have nations and countries. Common language, land and interest, creates special bonds between peoples called patriotism. Every priest exorcist will confirm that emotions, feelings, are the most used by Satan to deceive and manipulate people, to plant hate in their hearts and to make them commit sins. At the same time God is using the feeling of patriotism, love of one’s country, to save human souls. Partitioning the world is extremely important in God’s plan of salvation.

Old Testament is mostly revolving around the nation of the first covenant, Israel. We are learning how our loving God is taking care of His people. When they were faithful to Him, and followed His law, He provided them with everything they needed, protection and prosperity. At times when His chosen nation was slipping away from Him, forgetting His commandments, worshiping false gods, He, like good father, chastised them with wars, plagues or other forms of public calamity.  When they recognized their sins and repentant, asked for forgiveness, God would answer their prayers. He used pagan Babylonians’ kings to restore Jerusalem, to rebuild His temple and aid His people. This way He was showing to Israel and neighboring, nonbelieving nations that He is the only true God.

This example of Israel from the Old Testament should help us understand the importance of preserving the USA as a Christian country.

It is the moral obligation and duty of citizens, to defend one’s country.

“It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. the love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity.” (2239) The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In point 2240 it is written: “Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country.”

Our loving, Heavenly Father, gave us life, He put us in this time and place, and this place is the United States of America. The U.S.A. is a constitutional republic, where citizens govern the country through elected representatives. Our decisions and votes in the coming election will shape the future of country and influence the world. Because of our dereliction of duty in selecting and voting-in good candidates in the past, the United States has transitioned from a country built on Christian values into an ungodly one. In the past God used different nations and countries as vehicles to carry out His plans. Through the Roman Empire Christianity was introduced to the world. Today Italy as a country is insignificant, so is France, the “eldest daughter of the church,” where many catholic churches are more tourist attractions than places of worship. Spain which brought Christianity to so many countries of Latin America has no role in world affairs. For the last hundred years the USA is the biggest force for good in the world, bringing freedom to the oppressed and help to the needy. Because of the Christian values it was built upon, rooted deeply in people hearts, our country was chosen by God to end the bloodshed of WW I and WW II, to stop the advance of communism, dissolve the Eastern Block, and now is leading the fight against militant Islam. In today’s world no other country can match the military might of the US. The only way to end America is from inside by using devil’s time-tested method: divide and conquer. At the time when outside enemies are powerless, those inside are progressing rapidly. Citizens are morally obligated to defend their country against any enemies, outside or inside. By neglecting this duty, by voting for candidates supporting and promoting values contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church, or not voting at all, we are committing sins which will impact many and cause serious consequences. As Soldiers of Christ, we are also obligated to help others in their selection of representatives who will lead USA to the path pleasing God, bringing many blessings on us and future generations.

“Therefore, my children, be zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors. “Remember the deeds that our ancestors did in their times, and you shall win great honor and an everlasting name. Was not Abraham found faithful in trial, and it was credited to him as righteousness? Joseph, when in distress, kept the commandment, and he became master of Egypt. Phinehas our ancestor, for his burning zeal, received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Joshua, for executing his commission, became a judge in Israel.  Caleb, for bearing witness before the assembly, received an inheritance in the land. David, for his loyalty, received as a heritage a throne of eternal kingship. Elijah, for his burning zeal for the law, was taken up to heaven. Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, for their faith, were saved from the fire. Daniel, for his innocence, was delivered from the mouths of lions. And so, consider this from generation to generation, that none who hope in Heaven shall fail in strength. Do not fear the words of sinners, for their glory ends in corruption and worms. Today exalted, tomorrow not to be found, they have returned to dust, their schemes have perished. Children! be courageous and strong in keeping the law, for by it you shall be honored.”  (1 Maccabees 2;50-64)

 

Dear brothers and sisters take a look at our new election flyer and spread the message.

                   

          Know, Love and Serve God

Link to Flyer for:  http://-forum.brigadeofstambrose.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=27

FOR CATHOLICS ONLY- Election Flyer

FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS DENOMINATIONS- God Save America

Prayer Cards- Prayer For USA

 

Consecration of Russia to Immaculate Heart of Mary

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.”      /Matthew 7:21-24/

 Every day, God places challenges in front of us. They can be small or big, easy or difficult, obvious or hard to spot. These are ordinary requirements that come with being Catholic, like morning and evening prayers, going to church and the pious attendance of the Mass on Sundays and obligatory holydays, doing a good job at home and work. Then there are many other things which God wishes us to do, sometimes it is picking up a of piece of trash laying on the ground, at other times it is smiling at a person passing by, opening the door for an older person, helping a sinner change their ways through conversation or prayer in his intention, shaking someone’s hand, encouraging to work harder, etc. Every disobedience, doing something against the will of God or failing to do His will is sinful. If we recognize that every day is full of challenges it is easier to accept the truths from the passages: first letter of St. John 1:8 “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;” first book of Kings 8:46 “for there is no one who does not sin;” Ecclesiastes 7:20 “yet there is no one on earth so just as to do good and never sin.” On top of everyday challenges come extraordinary ones. The will of God unveiled through private revelations.

A hundred years ago, on July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima warned the three seers that if people did not stop offending God, He would punish the world “by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father,” using Russia as His chosen instrument of chastisement. She told the children that “to prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart” and promised that, by this single public act, Russia would be converted, and peace would be given to the world.

The Mother of God cautioned that if Her requests were not granted, “Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated.”

True to Her word, Our Lady reappeared to Sister Lucy on June 13, 1929 at Tuy, Spain, when in a great and sublime vision representing the Blessed Trinity, She announced that “the moment has come for God to ask the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart. By this means, He promises to save Russia.”

Later, this request having not been heeded, Our Lady said to Lucia: “They did not want to pay attention to my request. Like the king of France, they will be sorry, but it will be too late. Russia will already have spread its errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The Holy Father will have much to suffer!”

On August 19, 1931, Our Lord Himself appeared to Sister Lucy in Rianjo, Spain and expressed His displeasure, saying “make it known to My ministers that, given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution My command, they will follow him also into misfortune.”

 

Our Lord’s warning is a grave one indeed, referring as it does to His command, through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to the King of France that he consecrate his nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The King chose to ignore the command and thus condemned his dynasty and throne to the horrors of revolution, chaos and the guillotine.

In a letter to Father Gonçalves in 1936, Lucia mentions another communication from Our Lord: “…Pray very much for the Holy Father. He will do the consecration of Russia, but it will be too late. Nevertheless, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will save Russia. It has been entrusted to Her.”

In response Pope Pius XII: On October 31, 1942, consecrated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and on July 7, 1952, consecrated the Russians to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Pope Paul VI: On November 21, 1964, confided the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Pope St. John Paul II made two consecrations of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: in Fatima on May 13, 1982; and in Rome on March 25, 1984.

Pope Benedict XVI on May 13, 2007, invoking Our Lady of Fatima on the ninetieth anniversary of the apparitions, stated, “In a special way we entrust to Mary those peoples and nations that are in particular need, confident that she will not fail to heed the prayers we make to her with filial devotion.”

Many say that those attempts listed above didn’t exactly follow request of Our Lady of Fatima, and are not valuable. It is not our job to judge, let us give it to God, and be inspired and instructed by St Paul in The Letter to Romans 8; 14-17 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” As children of God and heirs of God we can, each of us, individually consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If in the spirit of being children of God, in the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great for Souls in Purgatory, we offer God the Most Precious Blood of our Lord, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world on this day. If while reciting The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy we are offering God the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of His Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Why not in the same spirit consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? We can do it every day with our morning or evening prayers, or even in the middle of the day or whenever is convenient. We don’t need permission or approval for prayer that follows the directives of Our Lord from Matthew 6:7 “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” We can compose our own, simple one or two sentences as an act of consecration, or recite the one posted below. Prayed with conviction, coming from the heart, it will do the job.

The words of our Lord; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven,” should be enough to persuade anybody to act, because none of us want to be at the Day of Judgment among those who ignored the will of God.

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” Powerful and awakening words reminding us that failing to follow the will of God, is serving evil.

 

Act of consecration

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, I a wretched and unworthy sinner consecrate today and always and surrender, Russia, and myself to Thy Immaculate Heart. Through the same Christ our Lord, Amen. Virgin most powerful pray for us.

link to flyer here

Life is precious

Life is an act of love which starts in God’s heart and at the moment of conception is planted into a woman’s womb. It is God’s will becoming flesh, a human being before and after birth, “born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

Our Lord reminds us in Mark 12:30-31: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”.

In the Diary of St. Faustina – Divine Mercy in My Soul Our Lord says:

“I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: first by deed, the second by word, the third by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy.”

It is not easy to love the ones who cause us pain and suffering, but it is ease to love a child who never trespassed against us, a baby that hasn’t been born yet. It is easy, and is our duty to love, to cherish and protect children, show them mercy by fighting for their right to life.

Every year hundreds of thousands (over 926000 during the year 2015, according to Guttmacher) of innocent babies are killed as an effect of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, over sixty million since 1973.

St. John the Baptist lost his head because he had the audacity to stand up for what is right, opposing the wrongdoing of his King. St. Ambrose openly disregarded empire Valentinian II’s orders authorizing Arian assemblies and forbidding Catholic ones, and he banned emperor Theodosius from His church until he perform public penance for his atrocities. St. John Chrysostom was exiled by Emperor Arcadius. St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Cracow was murdered for the excommunication of King Boleslaus II called “the Cruel.” St. Thomas Becket gained His martyrdom as an effect of a conflict with King Henry, and many more lost or risk their earthly lives and gain eternity by taking actions against the evil of their times.

With the industrial revolution came social revolution and the monarchy was replaced with a variety of political structures, mostly forms of democracy.

Blessed Pope Pius IX, Leo XII, St. Pius X and their successors understood the dangers and responsibilities coming from the new order in the world, requiring citizens to be more involved in the affairs of their countries. To clarify the position of the Catholic Church and raise awareness, they issued a number of documents starting with the Syllabus of Errors, encyclical Rerum Novarum, the decree Lamentabili (called also the Syllabus of Pius X). St. John Paul II after Berlin wall collapsed, encouraged citizens of Poland and other countries of the Eastern Block to be vigilant and involved.

Edmund Burke once said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Good people stood together to defeat the Nazis during WWII, Communism during the Cold War, and today good people have to unite in ending the Holocaust of the twenty first century, the slaughter of unborn babies.

The National Pro-Life Alliance is working to gather one million petitions necessary to begin the process of a Life at Conception Act in US Congress.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His suffering and death on the Cross, opened the gate to Heaven. Now is our turn to cross this gate by fighting the ancient fight, fighting against evil, by standing for what is right. It is our turn to go to the website of the National Pro-life

Alliance http://nationalprolifealliance.com/lacamf_petition.aspx, get informed, and sign the petition. Don’t stop there, download the flyer (http://forum.brigadeofstambrose.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=27), print copies and give them to relatives and friends, spread the message in your church, support the initiative leading to delegalizing abortion in the USA.

You know the word [that] He sent to the Israelites as He proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:36-38)

Borne in a manger, growing up as the son of a carpenter, turned water into wine, multiplied bread, cured many who were sick with various diseases, drove out demons, forgave sins, resurrected the dead, and preached in synagogues. Fulfilled the promise given to the human kind in Garden of Eden, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.”(Genesis 3:15) He suffer and died on the Cross for us, for our salvation, to give us a chance, and was resurrected to give us hope, showing the way, inviting too follow.

Love in every step, love in every breath, love from the beginning through all of eternity, this is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just a minute or two of meditation on a few short passages from the Gospel may help better grasp God’s and His son’s love towards us:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)

He rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. (John 13:4-5)

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”] They divided his garments by casting lots. (Luke 23:33-34)

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:33-34)

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit (John 19:28-30)

The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts. (Luke 23:47-48)

And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared too many. (Matthew 27: 51-53)

Our Lord Jesus Christ, an ocean of love then, now and forever. He loves us and asks us to love Him back. Love is the key to our salvation, that why St. Paul in the first letter to Corinthians 13:1-3 is writing:

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Our Lord’s love towards us is so great that He not only gives us everything what we need for salvation through His sacrifice, the sacrifices of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, but He is asking and encouraging us through chosen souls to reach for and take from the treasure of God’s mercy. “The flames of mercy are burning Me — clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls.” (St. Faustina Diary, 177)

At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion (St. Faustina Diary, 1320).

My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration for My mercy from every creature. (Diary, 1572)

“In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.” (St. Macarius the Great)

Is it not the right thing to do, to fall upon our knees at the feet of Our Lord Jesus, like one of the ten lepers healed on the way to Jerusalem, every day at three o’clock showing our gratitude, fulfilling the will of Our Redeemer and giving Him the opportunity to show mercy?

God is merciful but He is just too.

link to flyer here

link to religious card here

The Five First Saturdays Devotion

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.

(Genesis 1:26-28)

It is enough to look around in order to see the glory and magnificence of God. Look at the sky and moving clouds during the day, and the stars at night. Look at the beauty of nature; seas, lakes, streams, forests, groups or individual creatures. They are both beautiful and functional. It is enough to spend a few minutes admiring the complexity and sophistication of the human body to recognize the majesty of God’s work.

Everything is like a well-oiled machine. Days are divided between times of work and rest, a year is divided into seasons creating an optimal environment for man. Summer with longer, warmer days, a time of intense work, while the winter creates an opportunity for spiritual growth. God decided that Christmas is in the winter, and Easter in spring and created the optimal environment necessary for our survival on earth and the salvation of our soul.

Mankind was God’s final creation and everything was created for humans. “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion…” For thousands of years everything worked flawlessly, arranged perfectly to meet the needs of man in order to fulfill his role in God’s plan.

God in His boundless mercy and goodness is constantly helping and guiding man. He gave him Guardian Angel. When Adam and Eve committed the original sin He promised the coming of a redeemer to the world; “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.”(Genesis 3:15)

He called the best ones to guide a man; Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the prophets.

Then God brought to the world the most magnificent creature, free of original sin and any other sin, our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary and She gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus Christ who died on the Cross for our salvation. How great God’s love must be that He sacrificed His only, beloved son to give us a new start, new beginning.

The Catholic Church was born, built on the sacrifice of our Lord and His Holy Mother, with the Apostles, Fathers and Doctors of the Church, Saints, church filled with gifts, miracles and sacraments, the Eucharist and sacrament of penance being on the top of the list. Then God put us in our time and place. Through Baptism He brought us into the Holy Catholic Church, and made us free from the burden of original sin. God gives us everything that we need to know Him well, love Him more and serve Him better. Scientific and technical progress reveals to us the brilliance of our creator, and gives us opportunities that were not available to previous generations. We have quick and easy access to sources of information that help us recognize the will of God better. Thanks to the internet, messages from our Lord and our Heavenly Mother, the Virgin Mary passed through chosen souls are available to everyone.

On December 10, 1925, the Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Lucia (Lúcia Santos, one of the purported visionaries of Our Lady of Fátima) at the convent in Pontevedra, Spain, and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. According to Lucia, Mary requested the institution of the Devotion of the Five First Saturdays in reparation to Her Immaculate Heart.

Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.

These requirement don’t have to be completed at once and at the same place, but in order to encourage others, and to create environment of comradery in pious practices, is recommended to complete them in church.

This devotion also obtains the conversion of sinners. “So numerous are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.” (Our Lady to Sr. Lucia at Tuy, June 13, 1929)

And in His Providence, God decided that the peace in the world will depend on this devotion too.

“Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven.” (Sr. Lucia, March 19, 1939)

Five First Saturdays devotion is nothing new in the Catholic Church, but sadly it has become less and less popular.

For those who understand the magnitude of God’s love, mercy and kindness (He gave us everything and we owe Him everything), it is clear that a one time performance may help to escape hell but it is far from fulfilling the commandment of love. By extending this devotion to every first Saturday, and further promoting it, we can show our gratitude and love to our Heavenly Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and certainly shorten our time in Purgatory.

“As I was returning from Savigneux, the little birds were singing in the woods. I began to weep. Poor little creatures, I thought within myself, the good God has made you to sing, and you sing. And man who was created that he might love God, loves Him not.” (St. John Vianney)

Link To Flyer”The First Saturdays” 

Link To Religious Cards “The First Saturdays”

Pray for your priest and Church.

As the men turned and walked on toward Sodom, Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?” The LORD replied: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake… “Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?” For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:22-32)

Many are looking for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, they are comparing events happening around us: moral degradation, shrinking number of people going to churches, cataclysm etc. and predicting that it will happen soon. It is coming, if not tomorrow then the day after tomorrow. With such predictions it is easy to forget that our job is to do the will of God (Matthew 7:21), not to wait and do nothing.

In Book of Genesis, chapter 18, God said;” For the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it.”

Bab edh-Dhra, better known as Sodom, estimated population at the time of the destruction was between 600-1200. This give us 0.85-1.67%
righteous people as required threshold to avoid the destruction. If we look around today we may find more than two righteous, (doesn’t mean holy), for every hundred people. We have to realize that the day of the return of our Lord may not happen soon, and at the same time remember that we can be called to stand at the front of Him any time, any minute. If we want to be found worthy of His promises we have to be ready and not waste the time given to us. To guide us in our voyage God gives us the Holy Catholic Church with its priests.

The purpose of the Church and priests is to serve God for the salvation of souls. For this reason they hold a special place in society, and for this reason priests and the Catholic Church are especially targeted by our enemy, the enemy of God, Satan. St. Peter in his 1st letter, 5:8, warns us: “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Evil spirits are intelligent, they know that the priest representing God and Church can over his lifetime influence thousands of people. Holy priest will help save many souls, corrupt ones will guide them to hell. Evil forces put extreme pressure on priests to make them to neglect their duty in order to increase the numbers of lost souls and to discredit the Catholic Church as a whole.

Sadly on many occasions parishioners unknowingly may have a bad influence on their priest, keeping him occupied with too many activities which often turns churches into social clubs. Many times they will try to influence the priest to liberalize, to soften his preaching, or they are so nice to their shepherd that it becomes difficult for him to take strong, unpopular positions, fight bad behaviors, and do the job he was called for, guiding his flock to heaven.

About the future of those priests who cave, we learn from Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.”

In this battle priests need as much help as they can get. For this reason parishioners in their own interest, for their own salvation have to: love their priests, help with challenges, and enthusiastically pray for them.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)

“You shall love the God”. This commandment mandate us to love God and the greater gift from Him to human kind, this gift is the Holy Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is a chest full of treasure, full of God’s mercy, and is not locked like other treasure chests. It is open to everybody, just come join and take, and take again and again. The only church built on our Lord’s Jesus Christ, the Son of God and His sacrifice, standing on two pillars, Holy Bible and Tradition. The shortest road to Heaven.

When we step into a building of the Catholic Church everything is God’s love and mercy. Holy Water, The Sign of the Cross, the High Altar with the Tabernacle, holding the Prisoner of Love, our Lord Jesus Christ. Side altars, the Way of the Cross, confessionals, statues and images. In this building the door to Heaven is opened through confession, the miracle of Holy Communion and other sacraments performed by a priest ordained by the Bishop, a descendant of the apostles. In this building the teaching of our Lord and His Church are organized in the liturgical year, with holidays and feasts that are enriched by the wisdom of God revealed through saints in their extraordinary lives. His wisdom is revealed to the faithful, showing the way to Heaven. The Treasury of Prayers is in action: the Rosary, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions, and the Indulgences and promises of our Lord and His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, are obtainable. The Catholic Church is God’s love and mercy which flows out through priests in local churches.

Sadly for many years we see the numbers of parishioners in many churches, especially in urban areas shrinking. So many churches which in the past had six, seven masses, and were fully packed on Sunday, today have two or three with decreasing number of attendees.

Mandates of love, love of Catholic Church and individual churches we are members of, and love of neighbor, demands action on our part.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

We have to ask for holy priests, ask for increasing numbers in our churches, ask for conversion of people of all faiths, ask for a revitalized Catholic Church, “ask and it will be given to you… and you will find the way… and the door will be opened.”

Prayer for our Church
Most gracious God. Thou art good and kind, full of mercy for all who call upon Thee. Restore us O Lord and lay aside Thy indignation against us. Incline Thy ears to our prayers, and by the infusion of the Holy Spirit sanctify our bishop(s) [N] priest(s), Father(s) [N] . Gather Thy children around him (them), increase our numbers, and fill our hearts with Thy love. Make our church, the Church of [N], the place of conversion for people of all faiths, and an instrument to restore and revitalize the Holy Catholic Church. Through the same Christ our Lord, Amen. Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God pray for us. All Saints and Holy Souls in purgatory, pray for us.

Link to prayer card:”Pray For Church”

Link for this flyer “Pray for Priests and Church”

Bestow Mercy to Revitalize the Communion of Saints.

“It was a holy and pious thought. Therefore, he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin”
(2 Macc. 12:45)

November 2nd is the commemoration of All Souls Day. The previous day we celebrated All Saints Day, celebrating those who are already in heaven. The next day starts the octave of praying for those who passed the test and are on the way. Saints in heaven, holy souls in purgatory, and we faithful on earth united by the communion of saints.

Traditionally, Catholics spent eight days visiting cemeteries, praying for their relatives, friends, and unknown deceased, obtain indulgences for them, helping them reach their final, glorious destination. In the old days, cemeteries would be lit by thousands of candles, burned to memorize those who came before us, and according to tradition to give them some relief in their suffering. Today at the gate to the graveyard we often find signs discouraging, or forbidding people from putting torches, or lights on the premises, because they are making cleaning and maintenance more difficult.

In today’s “busy” society few people think about previous generations, and even fewer pray for them. As a result, the communion between those in heaven, purgatory and the living is shrinking. With Neopaganism rapidly progressing we are outmatched by evil forces. It is necessary to rejuvenate our union with those in heaven and the souls in purgatory. The poor souls in purgatory cannot help themselves, but they will pray for those who aid them, and because they are still suffering they have a special place in God’s loving and merciful heart, making them a powerful ally. Our Lady, Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary ask Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich: “Instruct your penitents to pray fervently for the poor souls in purgatory, for they in gratitude will pray for them in return. Prayer for these poor souls is most agreeable to God, as it admits them to His presence sooner.”
(Prophecies Part 3, On the Existence of Purgatory, section 1)

Our Lord in Luke 16:9 instructs us: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” He is encouraging us to give away God’s mercy to the souls in purgatory. Every catholic in a state of grace, being free from all attachment to sin, led by the Spirit of God (spirit of love and mercy) gains the status of child and heir of God. We gain the right to administrate God’s mercy through indulgences.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17)
First, a half-hour of reading the bible, a half-hour of adoration, or reciting 5 decades of the Rosary without interruption in a church, family, religious community or pious association. Then receiving Holy Communion, Confession, and offering up a prayer for the Pope’s intentions, while being free from all attachment to sin. Then add a plea to our Heavenly Father to receive an indulgence within.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)
It is not a big sacrifice if we compare it with the suffering of souls in purgatory, and the happiness we bring to them, and it is enough to free 1 soul from purgatory, and thereby gain the best friend, ally, and advocate we could ever have. Our friends in heaven will cheer for us, pray for us, while souls still in purgatory will do whatever they can to help and protect us in our journey, and at the hour of death they will stand along with our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary as our advocates.

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” (Luke 16:8)
It is in our own interest to extend those eight days of the octave of All Souls to the entire year, praying for them every day, offering partial and plenary indulgences on their behalf at every mass we attend and, at the foot of our Lord’s Cross, pleading for mercy on them and on us.

Link to “For Souls in Purgatory”

Link for this flyer “Bestow Mercy Restore Communion”

Christ for King of the United States

Thus says the Lord:

Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:5)

It was year 64 AD, Rome was burning, and the prosecution of Christians about to reach its peak.  St. Peter was fleeing from crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar.  Along the road outside the city he met the risen Jesus. St. Peter asks Jesus, “Quo vadis?” (“Where are you going?”) , to which Jesus replies, “Romam eo iterum crucifigi” (“I am going to Rome to be crucified again”). Peter thereby gained the courage to return to the city, continue his ministry and eventually be martyred by being crucified upside-down.

Today in the United States and all over the world, Neopaganism is showing its head. Faithless culture, Faithless economy, Faithless government, and Faithless society. The country that still has “In God we trust” on its currency is drifting away from God with increasing speed. Corrupt elites in government, media and pop culture are imposing all kinds of harmful ideologies on society, corrupting our hearts and endangering the salvation of our souls.

Should we flee the United States by locking ourselves in our houses and churches, or shall we turn around and continue the ministry started by our Lord and passed to us by St. Peter and successive generations.

We are not alone in this battle. Our Lord is with us. God, our loving Heavenly Father shows us the way to overcome obstacles in our struggle for salvation through chosen souls.

One of those chosen souls was Giulio Mancinelli. On august 14, 1608 in monastery Gesu Nuovo Italy, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the Jesuit Giulio and asked him as gratitude for strong love and devotion to Her among Poles to call Her “ Queen of Poland”. Two years later the 72 year old Giulio, after an arduous walk from Italy, on May 8, 1610 brought this message to the Polish King in Cracow.

Sadly this announcement didn’t move the hearts of the nobles, leaders of the Commonwealth. Pride, personal ambitions and self-interest created divisions and conflicts. It took the Poles 45 years to recognize the importance of this revelation. In 1648 Bohdan Khmelnitsky led rebellion of Zaporozhian Cossacks and Ukrainian peasants, it brought into focus the rivalry between Russia and the Commonwealth (Poland-Lithuania) for hegemony over Ukraine and over the eastern Slavic lands in general. In June, 1654, the forces of Tsar Alexis of Russia invaded the eastern half of Poland-Lithuania, starting the Russo-Polish War of 1654-67. In the summer of 1654, the Russians managed to capture most important cities and strongholds of today’s Belarus. July the next year, the Swedish Empire invaded and occupied the remaining half of the country. In the winter of the same year the Swedes attempted to capture the Jasna Góra monastery in Częstochowa. A small force consisting of monks from the Jasna Góra monastery led by their Prior and supported by local volunteers, mostly from the Polish nobility, fought off the numerically superior Swedish troops to save their sacred icon, the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. Their successful defense become the turning point of the war. On  April first, 1656, during a holy mass in Lvov Cathedral (now Ukraine), conducted by the papal legate Pietro Vidoni, King John II Casimir, who just returned from exile, in a grandiose and elaborate ceremony entrusted the Commonwealth under the Blessed Virgin Mary’s protection, whom he announced as The Queen of the Polish Crown. A series of victories following this act allowed Poland to reclaim control over most of the lost territories. Today, the Blessed Virgin Mary is known as the Queen of Poland.

Beginning in the year 1930, our Lord Jesus began to demand, using the Venerable Rozalia Celakowna (whose beatification process is ongoing), that Poland recognize Him as King. September 1937 Rozalia starts to receive a series of prophetic visions in which Jesus’s demands of the Poland and the world are very clearly defined. Depending on the fulfillment of these demands, God subjected the fate of Poland and other nations. The essence of these revelations can be reduced to a condition: if Poland wants to save itself, it must accept Jesus as their King in the whole sense of the word by the Act of Enthronement. It is to be made by the entire nation, and especially by the state and ecclesiastical authorities, on behalf of the Nation, must worked together to make this Act in a solemn manner. If other nations will follow the example of Poland, and recognize Jesus, their King, they will be spared, otherwise they will perish.

After WW II, forty five years of communist dictatorship, and twenty six years of post-communist struggle, the polish episcopate established a draft of the enthronement of Jesus Christ, which resulted in Poland being placed under His rule as King on November 19, 2016. This Act was announced on the 1050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki-Cracow. Alongside the episcopate, cardinals and bishops, the act of enthronement was attended by the president of Poland and devoted Catholic Andrzej Duda, representatives of administration and leaders of congress. Outside of the sanctuary gathered crowd of over 200 thousand.

József Mindszenty (29 March 1892 – 6 May 1975) was the Prince Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom, cardinal, and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from October 2^nd, 1945 to December 18^th, 1973. For five decades, he personified uncompromising opposition to fascism and communism in Hungary in support of religious freedom. During World War II, he was imprisoned by the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party.

After the war, he opposed communism and the communist persecution in his country. As a result, he was tortured and given a life sentence in a 1949 show trial that generated worldwide condemnation, including a United Nations resolution. After eight years in prison, he was freed in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and granted political asylum by the United States embassy in Budapest, where Mindszenty lived for the next fifteen years. He was finally allowed to leave the country in 1971. He died in exile in 1975 in Vienna, Austria.  On 21 February 1946, Archbishop Mindszenty was elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano Rotondo by Pope Pius XII, who told him, “Among these thirty-two you will be the first to suffer the martyrdom symbolized by this red color.” In 1947 Cardinal Mindszenty professed that: If a million Hungarians will pray for the country, he will be calm about her fate.

In the face of a great social crisis (bloody riots, protests, in reminiscence of the 1956 revolution against ruling socialist party) in Hungary, Cardinal Erdö with the episcopate proclaimed 2006 the Year of Spiritual Renewal of the Nation and called all to a prayer crusade for the intentions of the homeland. More than a million Hungarians declared that they will pray for the moral renewal of the nation, which started the beginning of a great social transformation.

After more than 60 years from the words of the martyred Primate, Hungarians tend to recover the lost dignity of the once great nation. Four years after the start of a crusade – April 11, 2010, the patriotic camp led by Victor Orban won the election. One of the first actions of the new parliament was to change the constitution, guaranteeing the protection of life from conception to natural death and recognize the Christian roots of the state. The country now seems to have survived the crisis.

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia is a country at the northern tip of South America. Population 47 million, it enjoys over 40 mystics who experience the presence of the Lord Jesus, Our Lady and the saints.

Colombia, for many years was associated only with the production of cocaine, violence and terror on the part of the FARC (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army. FARC is a guerrilla movement involved in continuing the Colombian armed conflict since 1964. Ideology‎: ‎Marxism–Leninism‎), it is now the fastest growing country of the whole continent, and the capital Bogota is safer than many other cities in the world.

Through mystics Our Lady sent to the Colombians messages which said that: in Colombia there will be peace only when the entire nation and its leaders make the act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary said that the suffering that affected Colombia, if lived in union with Christ, will transform the entire nation, which will become a light and witness to the world.

In 1990 the government of Colombia, together with the whole episcopate entrusted the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and this was enshrined in the Constitution. Sadly in 1991 the Constitutional Tribunal cancelled the act of consecration. Since then Colombia went through a period of intensified criminal actions from the communist guerrillas. There was then a general mobilization of the whole society, to make a spiritual and moral renewal of the nation and to put into power deeply religious people who would support this renewal. Colombians realized that without a strong faith in God and without prayer the nation has no future, and that is why in the democratic elections in 2002 chose the deeply religious president Álvaro Uribe. In 2003. The president signed a new constitution, which annulled the decision of the Constitutional Court of 1991. The army chief, General Padilla, proudly stated that the new Constitution of Colombia “reflects the order we received from God.”

After long preparations, on October 12, 2008 state authorities with the president Alvaro Uribe, Cardinal. Pedro Rubian, with the entire Colombian episcopate, in unity with the whole nation, made the solemn consecration of Colombia to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. This was the most important event in the country since Columbia gained its independence.

Catholic, conservative Álvaro Uribe is one of the few leaders who openly talks about their relationship with religion (Uribe is a member of Opus Dei), the faith that has an impact on political decisions and his conservative political views. In the presidential palace on the walls hangs a painting of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the saints and blessed. In the center of the building there is a private chapel, where is the Blessed Sacrament present accompanied by the relics of many saints.

The most astonishing in talks with officials is that everyone is talking about God as someone very important to their lives.

Colombians are not ashamed of their religion. On one of the skyscrapers of Bogota residents placed a huge painting of Jesus Crucified. The Audi dealership, next to the gleaming cars, placed a 2-meter image of the Lord Jesus. There are hundreds of crosses, statues and icons in private gardens, homes, courtyards, in state offices and private companies.

Against the darkness of sin which is enveloping the world, God chooses countries to be places of spiritual refuge and luminous signs for the world. This land-mark for Latin America is to be Colombia.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”. (Matthew, 16: 18)

What Our Lord promises will happen but those who will decide to sit on the side line in this struggle should ask themselves the question, “Will the door to Heaven open for me?”

“It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30)

During the Last Supper our Lord revealed to the apostles that God proclaimed Him the King, King of Kings. It is the duty of every Christian, enclosed in mandate, to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”(Mark 16:15) To bring, by prayer and promotion, this message to everybody so that one day, by the Grace of God, Jesus Christ will be proclaimed and recognized as the King of the USA and the entire world.

Let us then proclaim the Son of God, our redeemer, our savior Jesus Christ the King, King of our hearts and King of our country and our Heavenly Mother Virgin Mary our Queen, surrendering as individuals and as a nation to their merciful, loving, most Holy Hearts, to become part of God’s salvation plan.

Let’s start with promoting a simple prayer:

Christ Our King

O Lord our God, Jesus Christ, Thee alone are our Most Holy King. For our many sins we have deserved Thy Just Judgment. Jesus, King of Mercy, forgive us, have mercy upon us. Protect, o Lord, us, our families and our country, the United States of America. May America and all nations declare Thee God and King; May they fall on their knees before Thee! Open their hearts, and lift up their souls to adore Thee! Amen.

This prayer can be downloaded at www.forum.brigadeofstambrose.com under “Religious Cards” then “Prayer Cards.”

link for this Flyer “Christ for King”