Tuesday, October 29, 2013

"Modern times are dominated by Satan ...". St. Maximilian Kolbe.



....

"The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. Its victims are found not only among worldly people, but in our own ranks as well….And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. We finite creatures cannot ever give Him the boundless glory He deserves. Let us strive therefore to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers…. All that exists has value to the extent that it is related to Him, the Creator of the universe, the Savior of men. If our actions are directed to this God as our final good, He will give us His wisdom and prudence without limit. What a gift! That, dear brother, is the only way to realize our capacity of giving God the greatest glory.

"Life begins to make sense when we recognize and acknowledge God’s infinite goodness and our absolute dependence on Him. Our response will be praise and total love expressed in obedience."

Finally, after much prayer and consultation with his superiors, Kolbe worked out a precise strategy for his future army of militants of Mary. They would be totally consecrated to her to be used as instruments in her hands to win all souls present and to the very end of time. To the promise of victory in this total warfare between the serpent and the Woman as found in the first Book of the Bible – "I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the Woman, between your seed and hers [Jesus]. You will lie in wait for her heel and she will crush your head" (Genesis 3:15) – He would add a corollary to fit our modern age: "Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with Hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan."
 
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Sunday, October 27, 2013

A Description of our AMAIC Sites




Read all of these at: http://amaic1.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/a-description-of-amaic-sites_1702.html


Heaven's Program for Salvation
 
Description. "When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given …" (Our Lady of the Rosary at Fatima).
 
We regard this as being one of our most important sites since its subject is Salvation itself. 'Heaven's Program for Salvation' refers specifically to the heavenly gift of the Communion of Reparation program (known as the Five First Saturdays), as given at Fatima in 1917, with all that this entails, including its compatibility with the Nine First Fridays devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the devotion of the Divine Mercy.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Lech Walesa The Movie



Lech Walesa: 'I only fear God, and my wife'


Still from Walesa: Man of Hope Hope for the future: Robert Wieckiewicz as Walesa


Related Stories


In the space of a few months, Lech Walesa went from being an electrician in a Polish shipyard to one of the most famous faces in global politics. So how does he feel about the new film of his life?

Early on in the biopic Walesa: Man of Hope, a character describes Lech Walesa as being "full of contradictions and surprises".

Walesa, in the UK to promote the film at the London Film Festival, smiles when I quote the line back at him.

"I am a man of surprises," he says. "That's why I won. I surprised the communists, I surprised Yeltsin, I surprised many presidents."

And then, after a pause, he adds: "I had a lot of luck as well."

Walesa: Man of Hope is acclaimed Polish director Andrzej Wajda's companion piece to his Man of Marble (1976) and Man of Iron (1981).

Robert Wieckiewicz as Walesa Robert Wieckiewicz did not meet the real Lech Walesa (seen in photo) until after filming

The film charts Walesa's life from the bloody suppression of the 1970 workers' protests through to the founding of the Solidarity union in 1980, the imposition of Martial Law in 1981, and the eventual fall of communism.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and was elected president of Poland in 1990 (although the film stops before this point).

Wajda has described Wałesa as "the most difficult subject I have ever dealt with" in his 55 years of film-making.

"I just don't see any other director making a movie about Lech that I would find satisfying. I have no other choice," he said in his director's statement.

Although Walesa is helping to promote the biopic, he kept his distance when it was being made.

"I didn't interfere and I didn't want to get involved with the film-making," he explains. "Wajda needed to finish off and underline communism."

In the film, Walesa is played by Polish theatre and film actor Robert Wieckiewicz whose on-screen likeness to the moustachioed union leader is uncanny.

Wieckiewicz's Walesa comes across as both a charismatic and contradictory figure. At one point his character admits: "I am a man of great internal anger."

The film picks up Walesa's life story in 1970 as the communist authorities put down the workers' protests, and Wałesa is forced to sign a paper agreeing to be an informer.

The following scenes showing his path to political maturity and its impact on his family life and relationship with his wife Danuta (Agnieszka Grochowska).


“Start Quote

This is one viewpoint, but there are many different viewpoints. This is only two hours of my 70 years. You could make a lot more films about what happened”
End QuoteLech Walesa

Wieckiewicz didn't meet Walesa as preparation for the role. Their first encounter was at this year's Venice Film Festival.

The actor wasn't concerned he was portraying such a well-known figure, and one who is still alive.

"For me he is just a man, a worker, a husband and father. Of course he is a leader and a very smart, intelligent man and Nobel prize winner," he says.

"So I approached this role in the same way as any other role. Read the script and try and capture the different levels of the character."

He remembers being a teenager in 1980 and hearing about the Gdansk shipyard strike on Radio Free Europe. He went to Gdansk on holiday and recalls the "atmosphere of freedom" in the Baltic seaport city.

"You could say whatever you wanted without censorship. For the first time in my life I could breath.

"Walesa was like a man from Mars, a super-hero. People understood him. He was like us. "

He acknowledges the post-presidential Walesa remains a controversial figure.

"He is not an easy man to manage. He doesn't want to shut his mouth. He is still active in political sense. Sometimes he says something tricky.

"Polish society is divided between people who still believe he is a hero and others who think he is a traitor."

He adds: "In the history of the world there are a lot of people who are icons - like [Nelson] Mandela - because they did something very important for other people in the world. Walesa is, in my opinion, among them."

Lech Walesa and actor Robert Wieckiewicz attend a screening of "Walesa Man Of Hope" during the 57th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon West End on October 11, Lech Walesa and actor Robert Wieckiewicz at the London Film Festival

Walesa remains enigmatic when asked what he thinks of his portrayal on the big screen.

"I have no opinion. I'm going to allow the viewers to make their minds up."

How hard did he find balancing his life as a family man with being a political activist?

"It was very hard because I always want to be the best. I'm not sure if it worked. I was born to be number one.

"I don't have regrets I didn't spend more time with my family because I've lived my life to the full and you can't look back in regret."

Walesa points out there could be "another 30 films" made about his life.

"This is one viewpoint, but there are many different viewpoints. This is only two hours of my 70 years.

"You could make a lot more films about what happened. Time will show whether this is a good film or not."

What is not in doubt from the film is in taking on the authorities, Walesa placed himself in great danger.

During the arrests and interrogations, how afraid was he?

"I'm a man of faith," he replies. "I only fear God, and my wife - sometimes."

Walesa: Man of Hope is out in the UK on 18 October

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Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24538140

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Pope, Fatima and the End of the World

 

 

October 13, 2013 

By Leave a Comment

 
As pastor of a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, I found today’s Marian celebration in Rome very moving. Rocco Palma reports on it here–giving the text of the Holy Father’s meditation on Mary on Saturday, his homily at Mass today and links to Saturday’s papal teaching on women. An interesting side line is that the mainstream media is strangely silent about this Pope when his teaching is clearly traditional Catholic content. The most I could find on this weekend’s events was one link on the Drudge Report which said “Pope Says Church is Female.”
 
In our parish we moved our image of OL Fatima into the church for today’s Mass and the rest of the month of October and somehow the church’s teachings on Mary hit home to my heart today in a deeper way than ever before. As Rocco Palma observes, “If you don’t understand it can’t be explained.” In his post on Friday Rocco explains how close the Blessed Mother is to the heart of Pope Francis’ life and ministry, and how close she is to the spirituality of the people.
 
After Mass I said to a parishioner, “This is what the message of the Blessed Mother is all about. It is about the end of the world. It is about the end of humanity–not so much in an apocalyptic way (although I wouldn’t rule that out) but the end of the world and the end of humanity because we are destroying ourselves. We are destroying families through contraception, sterilization, abortion and divorce. We are destroying our purity and power through pornography, homosexuality, promiscuity, lust and rage. We are destroying our society through greed, materialism, disregard for the poor, trampling the widows, orphans, homeless and hungry. We are destroying ourselves and the Blessed Mother looks on with a mother’s broken heart.
 
Mary show us the compassionate heart of her Son. She leads us to the Divine Mercy. She looks down on this broken and crazy humanity–a race headed for destruction– and says with the heart of a mother, “Come Home!” I felt these words ring true as I watched the video of the image of OL Fatima being carried through St Peter’s Square yesterday. I saw this message on the face of Pope Francis as he clearly felt great emotion as he received the image and so received Mary herself into the heart of the Vatican once again.
 
This also explains the Pope’s own message and method. He looks on the world with pity, not with blame. He wants to reach out to the broken hearted, the bitter and those tied in knots by sin and offer the healing forgiveness and mercy of God–just as a broken hearted father and mother looks on their wayward children.
 
In his consecration of the world to Our Lady of Fatima today, does the Holy Father know something we don’t know? Is a crisis looming that will bring us to a turning point in some way? Has he called on the Blessed Mother to pray and intercede for our poor, troubled insane and suicidal race? In a way it doesn’t matter. The world has always been at a crisis point. The end has always been nigh and the prayers of the Virgin have always been needed. It only remains for us to watch and wait and pray and do reparation for the sins of the world as Our Lady commanded at Fatima.
 
 
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Taken from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/10/the-pope-fatima-and-the-end-of-the-world.html


Pope Francis – The Devil is Real



Pope Francis takes a straightforward approach to the reality of evil. It’s reported here.
The Pope then outlined three ways of fighting evil: “Do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be so on the last day.”
“Vigilance,” Francis said, “because his strategy is this: ‘You became Christian. Advance in your faith. I will leave you. I will leave you tranquil. But then when you are used to not being so watchful and you feel secure, I will come back’. The Gospel today begins with the devil being cast out and ends with the devil coming back! St. Peter would say: ‘It is like a fierce lion that circles us’. It is like that.”
 
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Taken from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/10/pope-francis-the-devil-is-real.html 

Some Interesting Comments Re Consecration Of Russia



.... comments to Pope Francis talks about danger of secular culture to faith during consecration of world to Immaculate Heart of Mary


    • Michael Petek
      Secular culture is the very source of abortion, sodomy, etc.
      Lest we obsess about the consecration of Russia, this was requested for the purpose of preventing the Second World War and the consequent extermination of the Jews. What mother would hear her children cry to her for help and refuse to come to their aid unless and until she was given what she wants when she wants it and her way?
      Now, let’s see what Our Lady does.
      In overshadowing Mary at the moment of the Incarnation, and again as she stood at the foot of the Cross, God asserted His exclusive claim of liberty to dispose at will of the beginning and the end of human life in the Person of the New Adam.
      This is the significance of the relationship in the OT of the glory of God (His corporeal manifestation) reposing over the mercy seat on top of the Ark. It prefigures the power of God overshadowing Mary at the Incarnation and again on Calvary, and it provides the reason for the death of the High Priest (Leviticus 16:1-2).
    • Michael B Rooke
      @editorCT
      The reality is that the Church did consecrate Russia to Our Blessed Lady.
      The Fatima document in the Church makes clear.
      http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html
      “Behold, as we stand before you, Mother of Christ, before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, together with the whole Church, to unite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made of himself to the Father: ‘For their sake’, he said, ‘I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated in the truth’ (Jn 17:19). We wish to unite ourselves with our Redeemer in this his consecration for the world and for the human race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and to secure reparation.
      The power of this consecration lasts for all time and embraces all individuals, peoples and nations. It overcomes every evil that the spirit of darkness is able to awaken, and has in fact awakened in our times, in the heart of man and in his history. ..”
      Look at the consequences. The fall of the Soviet Union.
      Here is a list of Cathedrals in Russia
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cathedrals_in_Russia
      Some former churches were turned into museums.
      Here is one and note the comment on atheism.
      The cathedral was named after the “miracle-making” icon of Our Lady of Kazan, which the church housed till the early 1930s. The Bolsheviks closed the cathedral for services in 1929, and from 1932 it housed the collections of the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism, which displayed numerous pieces of religious art and served anti-religious propaganda purposes. A couple of years ago regular services were resumed in the cathedral, though it still shares the premises with the museum, from whose name the word “atheism” has now been omitted.
      http://www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour/kazan-cathedral/
      How that contrasts with Britain now under the atheist cosh.
      In 2011 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was personally present at a St. Petersburg airport on October 20 to receive an Orthodox relic of the Virgin Mary from Greek monks bringing it from the Vatoped Monastery on Mount Athos.
      SAINT PETERSBURG, October 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was personally present at a St. Petersburg airport on October 20 to receive an Orthodox relic of the Virgin Mary from Greek monks bringing it from the Vatoped Monastery on Mount Athos.
      The relic, which is believed to be a belt worn by Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also believed to be associated with miraculous restorations of fertility.
      http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vladimir-putin-receives-virgin-mary-fertility-relic-as-russia-fights-aborti/
  • Bham Catholic
    To EditorCT: it’s absolutely ridiculous to think that “the world” does not INCLUDE Russia. Sr. Lucia herself said that Pope John Paul II’s consecration of the world to Mary did fulfill of Our Lady. But you and others like you can’t let it go and accept it. You speak of “humility”: obviously you think you’re holier than the Pope. Maybe you should look to your own faults first before you feel fit to criticize our Holy Fathers.
  • cathmom
    If the consecration on the world performed by Pope John Paul II met Our Lady’s request for the consecration of Russia, then where is the peace she promised the world?
  • MamaR
    Read “Fatima for Today.” It will answer many of these questions and you will find peace.
  • sTEPHEN POVERELLO
    I am quite disappointed by the Consecration of the World wording of today, to same it was lame is an understatement. our parish did a consecration which was a whole lot fuller and specific than this vague one used by the pope.
  • Amanda Peter
    Good for Pope Francis for consecrating the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Russia is well on her way to being healed it was Russia that stopped the bombing of Syria. It is Russia that dies not allow the homosexual agenda. It is Russia that speaks up for Christians persecuted in Muslim countries. The rest of the world now needs the consecration too as satan manifests his extra ordinary power over so many nations and peoples. Next time you offer to the Father the eternal sacrifice of the Son in the Holy Mass, offer for every soul in purgatory and every person on planet earth. The sum is still finite, the Sacrifice is infinite. We need to get clever in the economy of salvation !
  • Joseph Matthew
    The homily of Pope Francis was solid. Really good material for us to reflect on.
  • Mary Mwangi
    Praise Jesus,Mary and st.Joseph. I am from third world. We
    Are not so poor.God loves us too. Happy for the respect given
    To our lord by receiving on the tongue. At least in heaven there will
    Be no third and first world.
  • Please excuse my being so obtuse but would someone kindly explain what “consecrating” a country or the world to our Lady’s Immaculate Heart actually means.
    • Michael Petek
      It means that a nation – or the world – is set apart for the holy service of the Mother of God. It means that she intercedes with her Divine Son for that nation by name, so that for her sake He represses the evil spirits which infest and dominate that nation. (Genesis 3:15).
  • russian girl
    My great grandfather is russian and lived through the revolution. I’ve also spent much time in the post Soviet bloc and in Russia. The soviets successfully extinguished all of the catholicsin russia by the mid 1930s. By the time the militia of atheism reached Vladivostok there were 6000 catholics there.but the killed them all and buried them in a mass grave. Ever since communism fell,thanks to JP2, catholic missionaries have come to.Russia rebuilding the Catholic church.there… Putin is more.prolife than Obama now, so.there are good fruits. There is so much bad information floating around about these.things that inspired hatred and anger toward the popes. We should love the pope like he is a.member of our family. Pray for him instead of inspring division and animosity towars him, especially since.these things are all so.mysterious.
  • Michael B Rooke
    Note also
    Russians launch dedicated center to fight ‘atheist extremism’
    A group of activists connected with the Russian Orthodox Church are setting up a center against atheist extremism which, according to them, is promoted mainly by foreign-sponsored organizations.
    The decision was announced this week at a meeting between city residents and deputies of a district council that was held near the pilgrimage center of the Moscow Patriarchate, in south-west Moscow.
    “The atheist extremism is currently rearing its head. It is sponsored by various funds and NGOs with roots outside Russian borders,” reads the first statement released by the new movement.
    The group claims that their enemies are opposing citizens’ lawful right for freedom of thought, conscience and religion, guaranteed by the Constitution.
    In particular, the activists listed incidents when certain people protested against the construction of new churches, “creating an artificial psychosis and pumping up hysteria by intimidating the public”, quoting non-existent laws and declaring all public discussions unlawful.
    The statement emphasized the fact that atheist extremists were often acting on behalf of local residents by creating grassroots groups, but the real masterminds preferred to remain in the dark.
    The Moscow City authorities together with the Russian Orthodox Church are currently implementing the so called “Program-200” – a plan according to which 200 Orthodox churches must be erected throughout the capital in the next 10 to 15 years. Russian mass media estimated the overall budget of the program at about $1 billion and financing comes from a non-government fund. The authors of the program claimed that after it is implemented there will be a church for every 20,000 residents located 1 kilometer or less from residential areas.
    http://rt.com/politics/atheist-extremism-russia-fight-789/

Monday, October 14, 2013

Over One Hundred Thousand See Pope Francis Consecrate World To Mary



Pope Francis: Say Yes to God like Mary



(Vatican Radio) Over 100 thousand people came to St Peter’s Square on Sunday to see Pope Francis entrust the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which had been brought to the Square the evening before, took centre stage as the Holy Father made an act of Devotion in front of her. In prayer he said, “We are confident that each of us is precious in your sight, guard our lives in your arms: bless and strengthen every desire for goodness.”
It was the culmination of a morning in which the Pope celebrated Mass on this, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The devotion to Our Lady was very much in evidence as many of those present held up images of Mary and clasped in their hands miniature statues of Our Lady of Fatima as they listened to the Pope’s homily.
Pope Francis who is well known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin said that it was a day to consider one of the marvelous things Mary had done, that was “to be chosen to be the Mother of God”.
Taking Sunday’s liturgy as his inspiration, Pope Francis reflected on three things. They were that God surprises us, God asks us to be faithful and God is our strength.
Referring to Mary the Holy Father said God surprised Mary, but despite this she was able to say, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, be it done onto me according to your word.” The Pope went on to say that God does surprise us, he wreaks havoc with our plans, but he also says “trust me, do not be afraid”.
In his second reflection “God asks us to be faithful” Pope Francis explained that God is loving, but he also “demands that we be faithful in following him”. Mary was that faithful follower, he continued, she said her “yes” to God both in moments of joy and sorrow.” The Holy Father then said, our duty is to “walk with God always, even in moments of weakness, even in our sins. That, he added, is what is means to be “a full-time Christian.”
In his third point, “God is our Strength”, Pope Francis said that Mary gave praise and thanks to God . She did this, the Pope stressed because, “Everything is his gift. He is our strength!” He also underlined the importance of not taking things for granted and asked people to remember, three key words, sorry, excuse me and thank you.
As the statue of Our Lady of Fatima watched over the many thousands in St Peter’s Square, the Pope in his Angelus took the opportunity to say “Thank You” to those who had come from near and far for this weekend of faith dedicated to Mary Our Mother. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report RealAudioMP3

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Text from page http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/13/pope_francis:_say_yes_to_god_like_mary/en1-736976
of the Vatican Radio website

Sunday, October 13, 2013

"The Church is a woman, a mother, that is what is beautiful". Pope Francis.


 

Pope Francis: Women's role should be 'service' not 'servitude' in Catholic Church

  • From: AFP
  • October 13, 20134:25AM
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Pope Francis believes women's role in the Catholic Church should be of "service", not "servitude". Picture: AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca Source: AP


THE role of women in the Roman Catholic Church should be one of "service" and not "servitude", the pope said at a Vatican conference on Saturday.

Pope Francis said he "suffered" when he saw "in the Church, or in certain Church organisations... that the woman's service role slips into one of servitude," the agency I-Media quoted him as saying.
He also singled out two dangers facing Catholic women, beginning with "motherhood being reduced to a social role".
On the other hand, he said that the "sort of emancipation" that allows women to enter traditionally male domains may rob them of "the very femininity that characterises them".
The 76-year-old Argentine pontiff, elected in March, also said he likes to think of the Church as feminine.
"The Church is a woman, a mother, that is what is beautiful," he told some 150 people attending the conference marking the 25th anniversary of the publication of papal text on the woman's vocation.
Francis said the text, an encyclical by pope John Paul II titled "Mulieris dignitatem", was a "historic document, the first from the papacy that was entirely devoted to the subject of the woman."
Whatever cultural and social changes have occurred or may occur, "the fact remains that it is the woman who conceives, carries and brings into the world the children of men," the pontiff said.

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Taken from: http://www.news.com.au/world-news/pope-francis-womens-role-should-be-service-not-servitude-in-catholic-church/story-fndir2ev-1226739002326