By Hannah Brockhaus
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Saturday, November 12, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
THE SEEKING & COMMENCEMENT OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
by Father David Watt, STL (Gregorian), PhD (Cambridge)
The following article does not purport to be comprehensive but merely to give some points which, in my experience of eleven years as a priest, are widely overlooked regarding spiritual direction. In everything I say I submit to the judgment of the Church, not wishing to be 'pertinacious in error'.
A. The choosing of a spiritual director
Knowing from my own experience, my observation, & Church tradition how much more progress in the spiritual life is made under a director, I have always lamented the fact that so few Catholics - even the more devout - seem to have one. Why this lack? Partly no doubt through ignorance - people have not been told of the importance of spiritual direction. Sometimes too specious arguments are offered against spiritual direction, eg that it is an abdication of one's reason. It is, on the contrary, supremely reasonable to acknowledge humbly, with the Church, that 'no one is a good judge in his own case', & hence to seek another to whom one submits one's own ideas, however holy they may appear. According to masters of the spiritual life, eg St Louis Marie de Montfort, even inspirations received before the Blessed Sacrament are better subjected to one's superiors than acted on immediately.
Besides opposition to spiritual direction, sometimes one meets with the opposite error - making out that spiritual direction is obligatory. It is not. For the attaining of Heaven, all that is required is the grace of obeying the commandments, & there is no commandment to have a spiritual director. Some groups within the Church impose on their members the obligation of having a spiritual director, but the obligation arises from membership of the group, not merely from being Catholic.
In my judgment, however, spiritual direction, while not necessary to enter Heaven, is generally necessary to reach the degree of glory God wishes an individual to obtain. In theory God could lead someone to the maximum sanctity possible for him, without a director. In practice, however, I do not know of any instance where this has occurred - unless perhaps in the case of someone who died before a spiritual director could be found. Certainly if one reads the lives of
the Saints one is struck by how, for all their holiness, they were the first to admit with great humility their need for a guide in the spiritual life. Where they were forced to manage without one for a certain time, they constantly bemoaned the fact to God. Not only that; they were prepared to embark on an arduous search for a spiritual director suitable for them. The difficulty of finding a director who suits a particular individual is no doubt why many, even among the devout, take the seemingly* easier option, so deleterious to their spiritual growth, of being their own spiritual director, not as a temporary & unavoidable measure while searching for someone, but indefinitely.
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* In reality harder, as we shall see.
The different kinds of spiritual direction
Before we proceed any further we need to clarify the different types of spiritual direction. They may be divided into old style & new; all life & directly spiritual. This gives us four kinds of spiritual direction based on the combination of these two types: old style - all life, old style - directly spiritual, new style - all life, new style - directly spiritual.
New style spiritual direction means that the direction is confined to advice, whereas old style can also make use of orders. Directly spiritual means such questions as how much one prays & how, what penances one does, what spiritual exercises in general. All life means that one does not wish the direction restricted to such questions, but wants even "nonspiritual" matters such as whether it is time for a haircut subjected to the director. As St Paul says 'whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do; do all things for the glory of God' (1 Cor. 10:31). (Thus 'all life' means every aspect of one's current life, not the time till death. How this works out in practice will depend upon how much contact it is possible to have with the spiritual director. The more contact, the more day-to-day decisions it will be practical for him to make.)
Obviously it is vital to clarify with the director at the start of the spiritual relationship, what type of direction is sought.
Which type of spiritual direction is best, & why? Let us say at the outset that any type of direction is greatly preferable to none. Regarding the type which is best, the modern Church would generally plump for new style - directly spiritual as leaving more scope for individual freedom. The irony is that this is actually a weakness in that type of direction! If we follow the tradition of the Church, it is precisely because we wish to subject our freedom to the security of obedience that we seek spiritual direction. Knowing ourselves to be surrounded by myriads of rebel angels - beings far greater than ourselves in power & intelligence - who are constantly plotting our destruction, we want to be led by the hand like a little child. We know that we will never go wrong in obeying even the mistaken order of a superior, assuming of course it is not an order to do something we know to be sinful. But there is no such security regarding the advice of a superior. Humility dictates being open to suggestions from anyone, & of course superiors are entitled to special respect. At the end of the day, however, we may prayerfully discern that it is God's Will not to follow a superior's advice. So the modern style of spiritual direction is inferior through unnecessary complexity - it gives the directee no guarantee of knowing God's Will after direction, but leaves him with the chore of having to determine this himself - a task in which he may or may not be successful.
The most important reason for the inferiority of modern-style spiritual direction however concerns the will, not the mind. Our heritage from rebellious Adam & Eve is a tendency to follow them; to repeat with Satan 'Non serviam' - I will not serve! This pride is in everyone - even the greatest saint - as long as we have not 'shuffled off this mortal coil'. We can however make it weaker by performing acts of humility. The greater these are - the more we abase ourselves - the more our pride is lessened. And obviously there is more abasement in submitting to another, than in merely listening to him which is all that modern-style spiritual direction involves.
The same considerations which prove the superiority of old style spiritual direction also prove that the best option of all - where it can be found - is all life old-style spiritual direction. Why do things by halves? Why have the light & security of obedience, just for matters which are directly spiritual, when we can have it for the rest of our life as well? Only through pride, ignorance or a lack of trust in the spiritual director.
Who can be spiritual director?
I sometimes see lists of qualities supposedly necessary in a spiritual director which make me wonder if there are five such people in the world. I think these lists can do much harm. If people take them seriously, it means the vast majority will have to do without spiritual direction - which really means being their own director, & they may not have these qualities either!
The other thing one notices regarding the qualities supposedly necessary in a spiritual director is how widely the opinions differ from person to person. One will restrict all spiritual direction to priests; another will allow it also from religious. Another will place the emphasis more on academic qualifications, allowing even lay-people to give spiritual direction if they have degrees in counselling &/or spiritual theology. Still another will prefer to emphasize holiness - the spiritual director must be more holy than the directee.
The reason there are so many opinions on this is that people are going by subjective criteria rather than Church teaching, which issues no decrees regarding qualities needed in a spiritual director. And for a very good reason - she wants everyone to have a director, which is impossible if one excludes whole categories of people a priori.
In the above lists of qualities, the best try was the one referring to holiness. Spiritual direction is about advancing in the spiritual life, so we would expect that someone more advanced would often be able to help someone less advanced. Nonetheless to require that the director must be more holy than the directee means it is mathematically impossible for everyone to have a spiritual director - contrary to the encouragement of the Church. For if A must be more holy than B, & A in turn must have a director more holy than himself, sooner or later one of the directors must himself be without direction. (On a more personal note, I believe that some - perhaps all - of my own spiritual children are actually more advanced than I in the spiritual life.)
The error in believing superior holiness to be needed in a spiritual director comes from thinking one's own opinion is sufficient without proof. That is something one notices in discussions concerning spiritual direction & in particular about qualities supposedly necessary in a director - everyone has his own opinion, but very rarely is the opinion supported by argument.
One factor that seems almost invariably overlooked in the different opinions on who can or cannot give spiritual direction, is the issue of openness. If there is any fact about himself too intimate for the prospective directee to share with the prospective director, that immediately militates against the effectiveness of the possible spiritual relationship. It is not necessarily a question of sins. Objectively
of course there should be nothing we are more ashamed of than our sins, but because of our human imperfection it sometimes happens that there are facts about ourselves that we find more difficult & embarrassing to reveal than our sins. And in the search for a person to whom we can reveal these things, academic qualifications are not necessarily paramount. There may be someone who on paper is an excellent spiritual director; perhaps even is so in reality, but to whom for one reason or another a given person cannot fully open up. Spiritual direction is a very personal thing & a director who enables full openness in one person may - perhaps through no fault of his own - fail to do so in another.
Another issue regarding openness is that of familiarity. People may sometimes find it easier to open up to someone they have known for a long time, than to a complete stranger - however well qualified he may be in other respects. Of course, sometimes the reverse is true - the complete stranger, precisely as such, is more likely to elicit complete openness, because the person does not wish to damage any existing relationships through his or her disclosures. A complete stranger may also seem more impartial. More commonly though, a person opens up more readily to one who is already a friend - the closer the better. If so, this factor is worth ten degrees when deciding whom to ask for spiritual direction.
A further reason degrees are not the be all & end all when choosing a spiritual director is that people with more academic qualifications - especially in theology! - often tend to be more modern in their thinking about the faith, & so could well refuse to offer the best form of spiritual direction: old style. Not only that; they may offer only new style - directly spiritual: the least beneficial form of spiritual direction, though still infinitely better than nothing.
Another question which I never see handled in people's preconceptions about who can & cannot give spiritual direction is that of availability. Someone may be an excellent director but have so little time that one will actually make more progress under a less skilful director. Generally speaking, the more spiritual direction one can obtain, the quicker one's progress in the spiritual life. The ideal - very rarely obtainable, of course - would be an old style, all life spiritual director with whom one lives & who is therefore able to oversee & where need be correct one's every action. Religious may be able to obtain this if they can find a sufficiently sympathetic soul in the house where they live.
Although we cannot insist that the spiritual director be a priest, if one can find a suitable priest (perhaps a retired one as having more time) there can be a great practical advantage in that one need not embark on a separate search for a confessor. Going by the tradition of the Church it is advantageous to have the same regular confessor, rather than going to one priest or another at random. That way the priest can get to know an individual & provide advice based on his particular circumstances rather than just on general considerations. In this way he becomes at least a minispiritual director.
This bears on the question of whether a person can have more than one director. I know a man who has seven! This is easier if it is just a question of modern-style spiritual direction because at the end of the day one does whatever one wants anyway. Even then, however, it seems more in accordance with the tradition of the Church that there be one main spiritual director. And certainly if it is a question of old-style spiritual directors & there is more than one, there must be a hierarchy. No lower- level director must be able to give any order contradicting those given by a higher level director. There seems more point to multiple spiritual directors when the principal one can never or all too rarely be seen in person - perhaps on account of living at too great a distance.
Returning to the subject of our discussion - qualities needed in a spiritual director - when the number of my own spiritual children had begun to grow I asked a friend of mine, a much more experienced priest than myself, with spiritual children of his own, if there was any book he could recommend on spiritual direction. Though possessing an enormous number of
spiritual books he did not mention a single one! In his view, giving spiritual direction is like riding a bicycle - it's something that you learn by doing it. Which is not to deny that books may help but it is to say that experience is paramount. A corollary is that ceteris paribus the better spiritual director will tend to be the one with more experience. However, if none but experienced directors are ever approached, how will new ones ever be trained!
Though training is important we must bear in mind that spiritual direction is an area in which some have greater natural aptitude than others. Just as some priests have more talent in preaching, others in the confessional etc., so too some priests - or non-priests - will by nature have more skill than others in spiritual direction. An ability for extensive dealing with a person one on one is not something which can be acquired by academic study, though it may in some cases to a limited degree be assisted by it. So too in the secular world - eg business - the best managers are not necessarily those with most academic qualifications.
Particularly if it is a question of old-style spiritual direction, some who actually have a talent for managing others may experience scruples because it seems to them that they are taking pleasure in the sensation of control. This is understandable because in the secular world probably more often than not those with authority over others - eg in a firm - if they enjoy this, would not do so in exactly the right way. However, as Aristotle says, the pleasure perfects the act. If it is right for some to have authority over others - even to the extent of all-life old-style spiritual direction - it is also right to enjoy this authority, provided one does so 'in the Lord', recognizing that all authority comes from Him & that one day we will have to account to Him for how we exercised it.
So then if various opinions on qualities needed in a spiritual director cannot be proven from Church teaching, what are the criteria in choosing a director? I submit the answer is: one criterion & one criterion only - the person one should approach for spiritual direction is the one discerned in prayer to offer most prospects, here & now, for advancing in the spiritual life. Other criteria, eg academic qualifications, should be introduced only in so far as they bear on the above criterion, eg by breaking a deadlock between two candidates who otherwise seem equally well suited.
Here it may be objected that if some err by listing too many qualities as needed in a spiritual director, I have erred in the opposite direction. Do not authorities on the spiritual life such as St Teresa of Avila & St John of the Cross issue stringent criteria for a spiritual director, & speak of the harm which can be done if he is incompetent?
I cannot give a definitive answer to this objection because, though I have some acquaintance with the writings of St Teresa of Avila & St John of the Cross, I am far from expert. Could it be that their criteria are for an ideal spiritual director, & that they were prepared to put up with one who was less than ideal (which in a sense is everyone; even if the director is a saint, he is still flawed because born in Original Sin) for the sake of avoiding a situation which is even less ideal - being one's own spiritual director? Actions speak louder than words, & if we read the Autobiography of St Teresa of Avila, we do not find her sitting around for years being her own spiritual director while she waited for 'Father Right' to come along. On the contrary, she went to great trouble to search for spiritual direction, & was prepared to suffer much under various directors, rather than acquiesce in being her own spiritual director.
Yes an incompetent director can cause pain, but like the devil he cannot cause harm in the truest deepest sense of the word unless we let him. If we follow his mistaken orders or advice for love of God, whose place he holds, God will reward our humility & obedience. And the pain endured under a director, competent or not, will also redound to our spiritual growth.
We saw above that the one to approach for spiritual direction should be the one who, here & now, is prayerfully discerned to offer most prospects for advancing in the spiritual life. Later someone else might offer more prospects, so as we shall now see this possibility should be dealt with at the earliest opportunity.
B. The beginning of spiritual direction.
Exit clauses
Once someone has been approached for spiritual direction & has agreed, what then? One of the first things to be discussed, I believe, should be the 'exit clauses'. To operate on 'crisis management' is no more laudable in spiritual matters than in any other walk of life. I know one splendid priest who had a spiritual daughter living in the same city; they had many meetings for direction but eventually he "sacked" her over the phone! Perhaps it was an emergency but in general modern means of communication are not an appropriate way of terminating any relationship, let alone a spiritual one.
One way of dealing with the question of exit clauses is by initially agreeing on a 'trial run' of spiritual direction for, say, one month, or maybe a few months. This may also be a means by which a prospective directee may succeed in overcoming hesitation from the prospective director, who sees that if things don't work out the difficulties will be for a limited time only.
Another method is to have something analogous to 'giving notice' in paid employment. Either side can terminate the relationship, but the decision will not take immediate effect. This allows the directee time to search for a new director without being in the unenviable situation of being his own director.
Still another method is to require that before any severance of the relationship there is thorough discussion on request. Either side has the right to withdraw but if the other party is not agreeable he has the right to have all his objections heard before the decision takes effect. One might further specify that such discussion take place before the Blessed Sacrament.
It is not possible for me to say that one of the above methods is the best. Some may be better for one person; others for another. One might also combine some of these clauses, or even have something entirely different. The crucial thing, for me, is that there be exit clauses*. Besides the above reasons, there is another which applies in the case of old-style spiritual direction. Exercising oneself in obedience becomes a complete farce if one can "sack" the director as soon as one receives an unwelcome order.
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* I remember reading about one directee who as a condition of being accepted as spiritual daughter had to agree that she would not change directors! Well, at least the question was broached. But was there any agreement to stop him from “sacking” her hastily, eg in a fit of pique?
Confidentiality
Another issue that needs clarification at the outset of a spiritual relationship is that of confidentiality. This might seem to go without saying, but sadly that is not the case. The confidentiality should be akin to that of the confessional seal, even if not guarded by such severe censures.
It needs to be said at the start of the relationship that this confidentiality will continue even if the relationship ceases, at least until the death of the directee, & preferably till that of the director, since some may squirm at the thought of their private matters being discussed even after their death.
A related matter is that unless one has a special relationship with a particular individual it is too intrusive a question to enquire if he has a spiritual director, let alone who that director is. Such information should be divulged only at his initiative & if he sees fit.
The offering
Another issue which should be discussed at the start of spiritual direction is that of the offering. Unfortunately my experience is that this is generally neglected - so much so that a priest may be embarrassed to raise the matter through fear of seeming mercenary. The fact is, however, that even if he is the parish priest of the one seeking direction, what is put in the collection-plate is not intended to cover spiritual direction, but only more basic provision of spiritual services. As we have seen, there is no general obligation to seek spiritual direction, & a corollary is that there is no general obligation to provide it. Someone who agrees to provide direction is therefore doing the requester a favour - one involving a considerable investment of time & trouble. So it is only right there be an offering for this. It is not payment because spiritual services cannot be bought or sold - that would be simony. Nor is it essential that the offering always be material. Perhaps a purely spiritual one would be acceptable, eg over & above the normal prayer commitment, a 'bouquet' of Holy Hours, Rosaries etc. for the sanctification of the director, in some proportion to the amount of time he spends. (This time may be much more than meets the eye, because of contact outside of formal sessions for direction; also the reading of spiritual journals etc.) Or the offering could be partly spiritual & partly material. Another possibility is that the offering be wholly or partially via services rendered. But to omit the question of an offering via embarrassment is to neglect this immemorial tradition & to risk cultivating ingratitude. If something does not cost, sadly it is often not appreciated.
Openness & respect
We have seen earlier that openness is paramount in spiritual direction, & this should include the directee being able to tell the director about perceived deficiencies in the way he or she gives direction. It would be terrible if, through fear of reprisals, the directee were to bottle up such opinions. However this freedom should be combined with the greatest respect for the office of spiritual director.
One essential sign of respect is by honouring time-limits regarding the amount of contact with the director. Also, particularly if it is a question of old-style spiritual direction, physical expressions of respect may be appropriate, especially those hallowed by the tradition of the Church, eg addressing the spiritual director by a title; also kneeling & prostration. We should not too readily excuse ourselves from these by saying 'My great respect for my spiritual director does not need expression in outward signs'. Chances are we are fooling ourselves & making excuses for our pride which, because of Original Sin, even the greatest saint bears till his dying day. If the respect is really so great it should naturally spill over to the bodily realm. We are men, not angels.
Written Records
Particularly if the director has a considerable number of spiritual children, it may be useful to put the initial agreement in writing so that both parties have a copy. The director may also find it aids his memory to have a notebook for each spiritual child where he can jot something down after each session. Likewise, the directee may be assisted by keeping a spiritual journal & by handing this to the director from time to time. Both director & directee, however, should exercise foresight regarding any sensitive material on paper which it is deemed better to store than to destroy immediately. In this connection it is useful to make a Will & appoint a sufficiently discreet executor who can be trusted to return or destroy such material.
CONCLUSION
I would like to finish with a word of encouragement to those for whom it seems too difficult to look for spiritual direction. Without a single exception that I have found, those whose desire for a spiritual director is stronger than a velleity, invariably succeed in finding one. The search may be long and arduous but is infinitely worthwhile, since it increases the glory we can give to God once we are in Heaven!
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VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Everyone -- priests, religious, laypeople -- and especially youth, should have a spiritual director to help them in the Christian life, says Benedict XVI.
Monday, October 31, 2016
The ‘Unknown Light’ of 1938
Damien
F. Mackey
“The intensity of this
extraordinary celestial spectacle, its splendid brightness, its enormous
extent, its extreme rarity at this intensity especially in our regions, and
even more so in this season of the year, seemed worthy to us of being pointed
out to the Society immediately”.
Fatima 13th July, 1917:
‘When you see a night illumined by an unknown light,
know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish
the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the
Church’.
The following eye-witness accounts of what
pilots flying in the air at the time were to describe as “a shimmering
curtain of fire” - including those accounts written up in the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of
France and Monthly Review of Astronomy of 1938 - reveal the apparently
unprecedented nature of this terrifying doomsday phenomenon http://motheofgod.com/threads/aurora-borealis-of-1938.4360/
1.
Bulletin of the
Astronomical Society of France and Monthly Review of Astronomy, Meteorology and
Globular Physics”, in the year 1938.
An aurora borealis of exceptional beauty was visible in France and in almost all the countries of Europe, from the evening of Tuesday, January 25, 1938, to the morning of Wednesday, the 26th. In Switzerland, in England as well as in the regions of the West, Southwest and Southeast, right down to Provence, and even further south, in Italy and Portugal, in Sicily and Gibraltar, and even in North Africa, the phenomenon showed an exceptional intensity for these latitudes...
The atmosphere had been cloudy and there had even been a slight drizzle around dusk. The sun had been invisible all day. But now, more than two hours after sunset, the clouds are dispelled. The northeast, northern and northwest horizons light up as though dawn were going to break all over again. For practical purposes it is dawn... but a nocturnal dawn, with a strange light; it is the aurora borealis.
A pale, beautiful, greenish-blue light envelops the sky from northeast to northwest. Gradually, up above the sky turns fiery red and an irregular red arch appears. A sort of cloud tinged with purple condenses in the northeast and moves over towards the northwest, as if propelled by a mysterious breath. It folds over, undulates, dilates, vanishes and then reappears, while immense rays, whose colour passes from blood-red to orange-red to yellow, rise up to the zenith of the sky, enveloping the stars. The spectacle is enchanting and varied, animated with luminous palpitations, with extinctions and recrudescences.
In the streets there is panic. “Paris is on fire!” In several villages of the province firemen are mobilized...» «An immense blood-red glow was extending over the sky...»
The review then gives a great number of statements from its correspondents, both from France and from foreign countries. Here are some significant excerpts:
At the observatory of pic du Midi: «This remarkable aurora was the first ever observed from the station of pic du Midi. It constitutes a rare phenomenon for this latitude... The first impression was of a gigantic conflagration...»
At La Chapelle-Saint-Laud, in Maine-et-Loire, the teacher kept this description given by one of his students, aged ten: «Yesterday evening there was a great red cloud; it was like a sheet of blood, then the cloud grew larger, forming great red threads, which kept going up, and below that, white threads, like chalk lines.
In Oise, Mr. Henri Blain - at first believed that it was the grim reflection of a vast inferno... Many of the villagers, struck by the anomaly and intensity of the phenomenon, observed somewhat nervously from the window sills of their houses... These red glows were visible, then disappeared, and later on reappeared after a more or less lengthy period of time... These luminous manifestations sometimes went up very high in the sky, and in colour and luminosity they were absolutely comparable to the very vivid reflections of a violent, nearby inferno... The intensity of this extraordinary celestial spectacle, its splendid brightness, its enormous extent, its extreme rarity at this intensity especially in our regions, and even more so in this season of the year, seemed worthy to us of being pointed out to the Society immediately.
In Picardie: «At a quarter past five, noticed in the north-northwesterly direction a red glow which first attributed as being the result of a far-off inferno... Ten minutes later, the great purple spot was extending above our heads right up to Orion; other smaller and paler ones formed and disappeared in their turn. A few moments later, the blazing sky was being reflected in our faces; my wife, who was admiring the phenomenon at my side, appeared to me in a red reflection which seemed to me unreal. At a quarter to eight, the red glow reached its maximum intensity, almost the whole sky seemed to be on fire. A second drapery was quickly lit up, its luminosity was such that could tell the time on my watch. The spectacle was extraordinary. A brave peasant who had come near me to ask for news believed very seriously that it was announcing the end of the world!... The cocks, undoubtedly fooled by this unusual aurora, began crowing as though it were sunrise!
At the minor seminary of Caen, the students contemplated from their dorm a great red sheet, through which a few stars could be seen.
A witness from Vaucluse employs the same expression: «I was surprised to notice a great red sheet in the sky. For a moment it resembled a fire to me somewhere in the surrounding area, whose glowing light was reflected in the clouds… I observed that during the whole duration of the phenomenon the dogs in the village and surrounding area began barking and howling. They did not stop until about half past ten.
In North Africa this aurora borealis was so intense that an admiral whose ships were cruising near the coast ordered a destroyer to turn towards the left, towards the northwest, for he too believed that a fire was in the distance.
Another witness reports: This aurora was visible in almost all of Tunisia. It is a very rare phenomenon in our region since a similar one has not been recorded since 1891... In general it looked like a vast red or rose coloured glow, more or less streaked with white... The natives, who were very frightened, saw in it a warning of the divine wrath; the Europeans believed it was a huge, distant fire. The descriptions coming from various points in Tunisia always come back to the same expressions, which reveals that the phenomenon had an astonishing uniformity: «the sky turning red, a large reddish band which at first resembled a fire...», the «blazing sky», «a general blaze in the sky, the colour of a red brick, etc. The phenomenon was visible in all of North Africa.
In England: a witness spoke of moving pleats of a red velour coloured curtain. The curtain was drawn and filled the whole space. In Switzerland: a spring-like day had preceded the unprecedented, unforgettable phenomenon.»
The astronomical review gave some reports originating from Czechoslovakia and Romania:
Very frequent but brief conflagrations inflamed the sky right up to its zenith. It seemed that the fiery arch in the sky had come very low.
In Italy: A phenomenon extremely rare in our country.» It was visible at Pontevedra in Spain, In Portugal: Yesterday, for the first time in my life I observed a magnificent aurora borealis, a phenomenon very rare over here, which nobody can remember having seen for fifty years. At Lisbon and in all Portugal this phenomenon occasioned as much attention as surprise. Almost all the spectators believed that the sky was being lighted up by an enormous fire; and I myself believed the same thing at first. The apparition lasted almost two hours, from ten o’clock until midnight... Its colour was a more or less intense red.
In the United States, «this aurora was spectacular... Early in the evening my attention was drawn to the east by an enormous conflagration. Over a wide area the sky was alight with a red glow and I believed at first that a great fire was devouring Hampton Beach. The aurora was also observed in Canada.
An aurora borealis of exceptional beauty was visible in France and in almost all the countries of Europe, from the evening of Tuesday, January 25, 1938, to the morning of Wednesday, the 26th. In Switzerland, in England as well as in the regions of the West, Southwest and Southeast, right down to Provence, and even further south, in Italy and Portugal, in Sicily and Gibraltar, and even in North Africa, the phenomenon showed an exceptional intensity for these latitudes...
The atmosphere had been cloudy and there had even been a slight drizzle around dusk. The sun had been invisible all day. But now, more than two hours after sunset, the clouds are dispelled. The northeast, northern and northwest horizons light up as though dawn were going to break all over again. For practical purposes it is dawn... but a nocturnal dawn, with a strange light; it is the aurora borealis.
A pale, beautiful, greenish-blue light envelops the sky from northeast to northwest. Gradually, up above the sky turns fiery red and an irregular red arch appears. A sort of cloud tinged with purple condenses in the northeast and moves over towards the northwest, as if propelled by a mysterious breath. It folds over, undulates, dilates, vanishes and then reappears, while immense rays, whose colour passes from blood-red to orange-red to yellow, rise up to the zenith of the sky, enveloping the stars. The spectacle is enchanting and varied, animated with luminous palpitations, with extinctions and recrudescences.
In the streets there is panic. “Paris is on fire!” In several villages of the province firemen are mobilized...» «An immense blood-red glow was extending over the sky...»
The review then gives a great number of statements from its correspondents, both from France and from foreign countries. Here are some significant excerpts:
At the observatory of pic du Midi: «This remarkable aurora was the first ever observed from the station of pic du Midi. It constitutes a rare phenomenon for this latitude... The first impression was of a gigantic conflagration...»
At La Chapelle-Saint-Laud, in Maine-et-Loire, the teacher kept this description given by one of his students, aged ten: «Yesterday evening there was a great red cloud; it was like a sheet of blood, then the cloud grew larger, forming great red threads, which kept going up, and below that, white threads, like chalk lines.
In Oise, Mr. Henri Blain - at first believed that it was the grim reflection of a vast inferno... Many of the villagers, struck by the anomaly and intensity of the phenomenon, observed somewhat nervously from the window sills of their houses... These red glows were visible, then disappeared, and later on reappeared after a more or less lengthy period of time... These luminous manifestations sometimes went up very high in the sky, and in colour and luminosity they were absolutely comparable to the very vivid reflections of a violent, nearby inferno... The intensity of this extraordinary celestial spectacle, its splendid brightness, its enormous extent, its extreme rarity at this intensity especially in our regions, and even more so in this season of the year, seemed worthy to us of being pointed out to the Society immediately.
In Picardie: «At a quarter past five, noticed in the north-northwesterly direction a red glow which first attributed as being the result of a far-off inferno... Ten minutes later, the great purple spot was extending above our heads right up to Orion; other smaller and paler ones formed and disappeared in their turn. A few moments later, the blazing sky was being reflected in our faces; my wife, who was admiring the phenomenon at my side, appeared to me in a red reflection which seemed to me unreal. At a quarter to eight, the red glow reached its maximum intensity, almost the whole sky seemed to be on fire. A second drapery was quickly lit up, its luminosity was such that could tell the time on my watch. The spectacle was extraordinary. A brave peasant who had come near me to ask for news believed very seriously that it was announcing the end of the world!... The cocks, undoubtedly fooled by this unusual aurora, began crowing as though it were sunrise!
At the minor seminary of Caen, the students contemplated from their dorm a great red sheet, through which a few stars could be seen.
A witness from Vaucluse employs the same expression: «I was surprised to notice a great red sheet in the sky. For a moment it resembled a fire to me somewhere in the surrounding area, whose glowing light was reflected in the clouds… I observed that during the whole duration of the phenomenon the dogs in the village and surrounding area began barking and howling. They did not stop until about half past ten.
In North Africa this aurora borealis was so intense that an admiral whose ships were cruising near the coast ordered a destroyer to turn towards the left, towards the northwest, for he too believed that a fire was in the distance.
Another witness reports: This aurora was visible in almost all of Tunisia. It is a very rare phenomenon in our region since a similar one has not been recorded since 1891... In general it looked like a vast red or rose coloured glow, more or less streaked with white... The natives, who were very frightened, saw in it a warning of the divine wrath; the Europeans believed it was a huge, distant fire. The descriptions coming from various points in Tunisia always come back to the same expressions, which reveals that the phenomenon had an astonishing uniformity: «the sky turning red, a large reddish band which at first resembled a fire...», the «blazing sky», «a general blaze in the sky, the colour of a red brick, etc. The phenomenon was visible in all of North Africa.
In England: a witness spoke of moving pleats of a red velour coloured curtain. The curtain was drawn and filled the whole space. In Switzerland: a spring-like day had preceded the unprecedented, unforgettable phenomenon.»
The astronomical review gave some reports originating from Czechoslovakia and Romania:
Very frequent but brief conflagrations inflamed the sky right up to its zenith. It seemed that the fiery arch in the sky had come very low.
In Italy: A phenomenon extremely rare in our country.» It was visible at Pontevedra in Spain, In Portugal: Yesterday, for the first time in my life I observed a magnificent aurora borealis, a phenomenon very rare over here, which nobody can remember having seen for fifty years. At Lisbon and in all Portugal this phenomenon occasioned as much attention as surprise. Almost all the spectators believed that the sky was being lighted up by an enormous fire; and I myself believed the same thing at first. The apparition lasted almost two hours, from ten o’clock until midnight... Its colour was a more or less intense red.
In the United States, «this aurora was spectacular... Early in the evening my attention was drawn to the east by an enormous conflagration. Over a wide area the sky was alight with a red glow and I believed at first that a great fire was devouring Hampton Beach. The aurora was also observed in Canada.
The astronomer, Carl Stromer, reports that one of his correspondents in
Norway, at the station of Njuke Mountain (Tuddal), signalled to him that he had
heard noises «while the aurora was at its height and the sky seemed to be an
ocean of flames... The observer and his assistant heard a curious sound
coming from above them... which lasted about ten minutes, rose to a maximum and
then vanished, following the fluctuations of the aurora’s intensity. This
sound, which resembled the crackle of burning grass, was perceived in
the same region, in the Tuddal valley, by Mr. Oysteim Reisjaa. Everything was
perfectly calm on the mountain, and nothing could explain the production of
this noise, neither the wind, which was not blowing, nor the telegraph lines,
nor motors. Above the observatories, from all sides, there was not a murmur in
the forest.
January 26 issue of Le Petit Dauphinois
Grenoble, January 25. – An atmospheric phenomenon of exceptional intensity was noticed this evening between seven-thirty and ten-thirty on the entire range of the Alps. This phenomenon manifested itself by an immense luminous trail which seemed to come from the sun, to unfold, fan-shaped, right up to its zenith. The breadth of the spectacle observed was such that the blazing sky resembled the brilliance of dawn. The people were astonished at first, then admired this celestial manifestation, which is rarely seen in these latitudes; then, as the phenomenon prolonged itself, they grew disturbed. Some curious scenes – especially in our countryside – were witnessed as the horizon remained purple. A thousand controversies swirled around this strange vision, which was believed to be a vast fire in the mountains, or gigantic military manoeuvres with searchlights; it was even believed – and this was the almost unanimous and not the least interesting observation – that the sun was going to rise...
Now according to the first news we obtained from qualified professors, teachers of meteorology, it was a splendid aurora borealis, the most beautiful one to manifest itself in western Europe for centuries...
From the city itself the phenomenon was not very well perceived. But as soon as one left the suburbs, even without thinking of looking out over Grenoble, in the north a gigantic blazecould be perceived.
At Le Petit Dauphinois all the telephone lines were jammed by our correspondents – even the most distant ones – who informed us of the celestial manifestation. At eight o’clock, this animation which was continually increasing changed on certain points into a real terror.
January 26 issue of Le Petit Dauphinois
Grenoble, January 25. – An atmospheric phenomenon of exceptional intensity was noticed this evening between seven-thirty and ten-thirty on the entire range of the Alps. This phenomenon manifested itself by an immense luminous trail which seemed to come from the sun, to unfold, fan-shaped, right up to its zenith. The breadth of the spectacle observed was such that the blazing sky resembled the brilliance of dawn. The people were astonished at first, then admired this celestial manifestation, which is rarely seen in these latitudes; then, as the phenomenon prolonged itself, they grew disturbed. Some curious scenes – especially in our countryside – were witnessed as the horizon remained purple. A thousand controversies swirled around this strange vision, which was believed to be a vast fire in the mountains, or gigantic military manoeuvres with searchlights; it was even believed – and this was the almost unanimous and not the least interesting observation – that the sun was going to rise...
Now according to the first news we obtained from qualified professors, teachers of meteorology, it was a splendid aurora borealis, the most beautiful one to manifest itself in western Europe for centuries...
From the city itself the phenomenon was not very well perceived. But as soon as one left the suburbs, even without thinking of looking out over Grenoble, in the north a gigantic blazecould be perceived.
At Le Petit Dauphinois all the telephone lines were jammed by our correspondents – even the most distant ones – who informed us of the celestial manifestation. At eight o’clock, this animation which was continually increasing changed on certain points into a real terror.
This
next article also broaches the subject and provides some useful explanations http://www.fatima.org/essentials/whatucando/prophecyourtime.asp
Understanding Prophecies for Our Time
Saint Augustine said that we
must pray as though everything depends on God and work as though everything
depends on us. Thus, in addition to prayer, each of us has an obligation to
act. Before one can take the appropriate action, however, one must be informed
– about the Faith and about the prophecies God sends to guide us. St. Thomas
tells us that God sends prophets to every generation, not to give us new
doctrine, but to remind us what we must do to save our souls. ….
Saint Paul tells us:
"Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things;
hold fast that which is good" (1 Thes. 5:19-21). God sends prophets to set
a straying world back on the right path, and we must not despise the prophecy
that God has sent to us through His prophets.
Our Lady of Fatima gave us
prophecies for our time: prophecies that are being fulfilled before our very
eyes. For example, Our Lady predicted that if people did not amend their lives,
a terrible war would begin during the reign of Pius XI. In addition to warning
people to amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins, Our Lady offered a
marvelous way to prevent the punishment of war: the solemn Consecration of Russia
to Her Immaculate Heart. … people amend their lives … and World War II and the
series of wars that followed it have resulted (Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Kuwait,
etc.). And more wars continue now and into the future – all because we ignore
Our Lady of Fatima’s requests.
Some critics, including Father
Edouard Dhanis, have argued that Sister Lucy’s prophecy that the "great
war" would begin during the reign of Pius XI was incorrect. They make this
claim because, as they say, the Second World War "began" with the
German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 – as is widely and erroneously
believed – when Pius XII, not Pius XI, was Pope. Pius XI died on February 10,
1939, and Pius XII was installed as Bishop of Rome on March 12, 1939.
Sister Lucy, however, has
maintained that World War II, in truth, began during the reign of Pius XI.
"The annexation of Austria was the occasion for it," she explained.
The invasion of Austria (in March 1938), the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the
formation of military alliances and the decision to invade Poland were the
beginnings of the war, though war had not yet been officially declared. All of
these events occurred during the pontificate of Pope Pius XI.
Furthermore, the "night
illumined by an unknown light," which Our Lady said would signal the
coming of the "great war", occurred during the night of January
25-26, 1938. On that night a bright red light, likened to the blaze of a
gigantic fire, filled the evening sky, and was seen across Europe and even in
parts of North America and North Africa. It was determined to be a most
extraordinary aurora borealis. Sister Lucy expressed reservations on this, but
wrote in her third memoir on August 31, 1941 that no matter what cause the
light could be attributed to, "God made use of this to make me understand
that His justice was about to strike the guilty nations…"
During the same night that the
great sign appeared in the sky, in Moscow’s Lubianka prison a man by the name
of Kristian Rakovsky was being interrogated by Josef Stalin’s chief
interrogator. During the interrogation Rakovsky revealed Germany’s plan to
dominate Europe. He proposed that the Soviet Union join Germany in an invasion
of Poland, which would lead to Europe’s retaliation against Germany and not the
Soviet Union. According to Rakovsky’s plan, France and England would wear each
other out, after which the Soviet Union would turn on Germany and collect the
spoils of the war. This fateful interview began at the same time the unknown light
in the sky was beginning to fade. It resulted in the Soviet Union’s instigation
of and participation in the war, and Rakovsky’s plan was carried out to the
great benefit of the Soviet Union. Again, this decisive step toward World War
II occurred during the reign of Pope Pius XI. 1
….
Notes:
1.
For a text of the Rakovsky interview, see
Manifold, Deirdre, Firinne Publications, Galway, Ireland, 1993, pp. 26-52. Towards
World Government: New World Order
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Pope who turned his back on Hitler
by
Damien
F. Mackey
“The
children of Fatima warned us that Our Lady foretold if the people did not
repent, a greater war than World War I would follow, under the reign of Pope
Pius XI,
after
a strange light in the night sky over Europe”.
Introduction
Moses’s invitations and warnings to the
Israelites - indeed, to all of us - were conditional,
preceded by, respectively, “If …” (Hebrew: אִם), and: “If not …” (Hebrew:אִם-לֹא ).
Thus, for instance, Deuteronomy 28:1-2: “If you fully obey the Lord your God
and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set
you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you
obey the Lord your God …”.
The manifold blessings consequent to this
obedience are then listed (vv. 3-14).
“However” (28:15), “if you do not obey the Lord your God
and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,
all these curses will come on you and overtake you …”.
There then follows a long list of the most
horrifying curses (vv. 16-68).
But a hard-hearted Pharaoh and his minions,
and the ‘iron furnace’ of Egyptian oppression (Deuteronomy 4:20): “But as for
you, the Lord
took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be
the people of his inheritance, as you now are”, were only pale foreshadowings
of the terrible eschatological reality of a miserific Devil and his demons, and
eternal servitude in the fires of Hell (one of the Fatima visions).
Pius
XI and the ‘Strange Light’
The modern message of Fatima (which is, in
its essence, an ancient biblical one) is structured along Mosaïc lines, “If”
and “If not”. It is very much to the point (July 13, 1917):
‘If my requests are heard, Russia
will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors
throughout the world, fomenting wars and persecution of the Church. The good
will suffer martyrdom; the Holy Father will suffer much; different nations will
be annihilated’.
‘If only you knew the things that make for peace’ (Luke 19:42).
Well, for we who live in the
Fatima Era (which will turn 100 next year: 2017), it has been spelled out for
us. The bottom line is Obedience to the Will of God!
Either that, or, for
instance, the terrible Second World War. By then, according to the following piece, “the Fatima
prophecies cease to be conditional”.
…. The children of Fatima warned us that Our Lady
foretold if the people did not repent, a greater war than World War I would
follow, under the reign of Pope Pius XI, after a strange light in the night sky
over Europe.
On January 25th 1938, during the reign of Pope
Pius XI, a solar storm produced an Aurora Borealis that was seen all over
Europe and North America — as far south as California in the United States.
These lights were seen by Hitler himself and he
took it as a “sign” to begin his war plans.
On February 4th 1938, less than two weeks after
the aurora was seen by the world, Hitler promoted himself to military chief in
Germany.
A month later he marched his army into Austria.
This was one of the early aggressions that started
World War II. At that point the Fatima prophecies cease to be conditional. ….
[End of quote]
Of interest in this
regard, "on January 25, 1938, a remarkable display of aurora borealis was
visible across Europe, the year before World War II began." The book, The
Secrets of Fatima elaborates: "This aurora appeared as far south as
Galicia, Spain, where Sister Lucy was then cloistered, and she, the only
survivor of the three Fatima shepherds, recognized it immediately as the sign.
Visible even to Pius XI in Rome, the unprecedented aurora was accompanied by a
‘crackling' sound, possibly attributable to discharges of atmospheric energy.
Indeed, in many areas of Europe, panic broke out, as the populace concluded
that the world was on fire and that the End had come."
[End of quote]
Pius
XI and Hitler
------------------------------------------------------------
“Spiritually”,
the pope said, “we are all Semites”.
------------------------------------------------------------
This next
piece has been taken from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-eisner/popes-last-crusade_b_3071556.html
Pope Pius XI's Last
Crusade
....
When people think of the
Vatican and World War II, they think immediately of Pius XII, the controversial
pontiff between 1939 and 1958. But before him, there was a little-remembered
pope, Pope Pius XI, who was loudly outspoken against the Nazis and was
determined to call the world's attention to their atrocities. "The Pope's
Last Crusade" tells that story, along with that of the pope's partnership
with an American Jesuit, which breaks new ground about war-time conspiracies
within the Vatican.
Pope Pius XI had left the
Vatican in late April 1938, earlier than usual for his summer retreat at Castel
Gandolfo. He intended it to be an obvious snub directed at Adolf Hitler who was
meeting the first week in May with Italian leader Benito Mussolini.
The pope rejected being
present while the "crooked cross of neo-paganism" flew over Rome.
Hitler's anti-Semitic campaign had become the pope's great preoccupation.
Many scholars think that Pius
XI's crusade against Hitler, which took place in the last months of his life,
could have changed course of events, possibly even the severity of later
atrocities against the Jews.
As the Nazis increased their
threats in their march toward war, the pope realized that it might at that
moment be the Jews, but then it would be the Catholics and finally the world.
He could see that the Nazis would stop at nothing less than world domination.
Pius had few allies at the
Vatican, where many even believed that Communism was a greater danger than
Fascism. Therefore, many prelates thought, the enemy of their Communist enemy
must be their friend.
But Pius saw Hitler as an
insane presence in the world and had been searching for a means of applying
pressure and rallying international leaders against Nazism. It would not be
easy. He was 82 years old and increasingly ill. At the same time, powerful
cardinals and bishops around him feared the pope's activism against Hitler. In
particular, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, counseled
caution in challenging Hitler and Mussolini. Pacelli eventually would … succeed
Pius XI.
The pope, undeterred, reached
out for help beyond the walls of the Vatican, seeking out an American Jesuit
journalist, John LaFarge, who had just come to Italy. LaFarge had just written
a book, "Interracial Justice," which portrayed the lives of American
blacks who lived in the poorest strata of society. While LaFarge defended
African Americans against the myth of racial superiority, the concept applies,
he wrote, "to all races and conditions of men ... all tribes and races,
Jew and Gentile alike..." (Twenty-five years later, in 1963, LaFarge stood
with his friend Martin Luther King at the March on Washington.)
The pope summoned LaFarge to
Castel Gandolfo on June 25, 1938. The American priest was shocked that the pope
even knew his name. Pius told LaFarge he was to write an encyclical that would
use the same reasoning he employed when discussing racism in the United States.
It was to be the strongest statement ever made by the Vatican, in defense of
the Jews and rejecting the Nazi doctrine of anti-Semitism.
Sworn to silence, LaFarge took
up the papal assignment clandestinely in Paris. The pope's directive, however,
had thrown LaFarge into the hazy realm of Vatican politics. The leader of the
Jesuit order worldwide, Wlodimir Ledochowski, promised the pope and LaFarge
that he would facilitate production of the encyclical. Privately, Ledochowski,
an anti-Semite, conspired to block LaFarge at every turn.
In late September 1938, after
about three months of work, LaFarge traveled to Rome with his papal mission
complete. His superior, Ledochowski, welcomed him and promised to deliver the
encyclical right away to the pope. He dismissed LaFarge and directed him to
return home to the United States. Ledochowski did take care of the speech -- by
burying it for months in Vatican bureaucracy.
The pontiff, unaware of these
machinations, was stepping up his criticism of … Hitler, and Mussolini. He
criticized Mussolini's imitation of systematic attacks on Jews in Germany and
Austria. As in Germany, Jews in Italy were banned from attending school, from
holding public positions or serving as doctors, lawyers and in other
professional functions. Pius XI condemned these actions.
"Spiritually," the
pope said, "we are all Semites."
In the fall of 1938, LaFarge
realized finally that the pope still had not received the encyclical. He wrote
a letter directly to the pope, implying that Ledochowski had the document in
hand for months already. Pius XI demanded delivery, but did not receive it
until Jan. 21, 1939 with a note from Ledochowski, who warned that the language
of the document appeared to be excessive. He advised caution.
The pope, finally with
LaFarge's text, planned immediately to issue the encyclical after a meeting
with bishops on Feb. 11, in which he would condemn fascism. He worked on that
speech on his own, jotting down ideas, rewriting and editing it by hand.
Rumors, meanwhile, had reached Mussolini that the pope might be planning to
excommunicate him or even Hitler, also a Catholic, a blow that could actually
damage their popular power base.
Pius XI died on Feb. 10, 1939,
a day before his planned speech. Vatican doctors said he had suffered
complications of a heart attack, and despite administering stimulants, they had
been unable to revive him.
Bishops in some quarters grumbled
about the circumstances of his death and questioned the kind of stimulants he
had been given in an attempt to revive him. Cardinal Eugene Tisserant of
France, the pope's best friend and a former French intelligence officer, wrote
in his diary that the pope had been murdered.
Pacelli, the secretary of
state, became Pius XII, and the Vatican immediately toned down its vocal
protests against Hitler and Mussolini. One historian, Conor Cruise O'Brien, the
noted Irish writer and politician, in 1989 said that those months in 1938 were
crucial as Hitler measured how the world would react to his campaign against
the Jews.
"Had Pius XI been able to
deliver the encyclical he planned, the green light would have changed to red.
The Catholic Church in Germany would have been obliged to speak out against the
persecution of the Jews. Many Protestants, inside and outside Germany, would
have likely to follow its example."
How effective Pius XI's
efforts might have been can never be known. It was only clear that he took a
stance in favor of absolute morality and defended to his last breath his
principles of decency and humanity, nothing more, nothing less. ....
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