The M+G+R Foundation
A Public
Forum - Part II
March
2008
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Public Forum - Part II
is to publish
communications sent to us, communications which require no response
from us, yet, we feel that their content may be beneficial for the
spiritual health of the Faithful.
We reserve the right to choose which
communications will be
published and to edit them as necessary for clarity.
The identity of the correspondent will be kept confidential unless
requested otherwise.
Please
Note:
When a communication appears on this Forum, does not automatically
imply that The
M+G+R Foundation agrees with all of its contents and/or
conclusions.
From miguel de Portugal -
Published
on March 31st, 2008
Some
time ago we substituted many of our communications - which would
have been delivered via e-mail - by postings on our Board or in our For Your
Information page.
The intent was to reduce the amount of e-correspondence that the
members of our lists were receiving.
Therefore - respecting your free will, we ask you to let us know if you wish that we
return to the level of e-correspondence that you received from us before
the For Your Information page.
Mail your preference to us.
Many continued Blessings to all!
m de P
From (Mrs.) IW @ USA
-
Published
on March 29th, 2008 [letter
written on December 9th]
dearest miguel
i hope this letter finds you in
enjoying a holy Advent Season!!
i just wanted you to know that i have
not made a donation (1) to
your ministry yet, but as soon as i am able to,
i will.... until that time, and for as long as there is breath in my
body, you will always remain in my daily prayers.... i am so sorry that
i don't have any money and that prayer is all i have to share with
you.... you deserve and need so much more... i just hope that
those that God has blessed with the ability to do so, will donate very
generously to your ministry, not just for you, but for all of us,
who need your help so much.
i must tell you how comforting today's
words from Jesus were.... two sentences jumped out at me...
So fainting and needy, by the lakeside of
life, know that I will supply your need, not grudgingly, but in full
measure.
and your:
i rejoiced at the first one, as
that is
where my family is these days.... and laughed at the second.... my
current phrase these days, with all the hardships we have been
facing, has been:' L, put your
faith where your mouth is'
i have used this phrase mostly in
reference to our lack of money these days... i keep telling my
family, as they begrudge that there are no gifts to share this
Christmas, that Jesus is just trying to teach us something,
as it appears we will receive some money after Christmas, but not in
time for gifts or our Christmas dinner, where we usually invite my
husbands whole family for a delicious feast....
i just keep hoping that whatever
the lesson is, that we need to learn, that we can learn
it quickly, so that Jesus can send us the help we need, to at least
have a nice Christmas dinner.... even if it is not enough to invite
everyone else...
please pray for us, me especially,
that i may have the courage to endure, and the wisdom to understand,
whatever God deems me too in the coming days...
From LP @ USA
-
Published
on March 27th, 2008
Clarity
returns ... Gorbachev has given an interview refuting the recent media
"fantasies" (his word) that he is a "closet Christian." He
remains an avowed atheist.
Here are the highlights of the story (1):
Gorbachev
a "closet Christian"?
By
Alex Rodriguez | Tribune correspondent
MOSCOW — Even before the Soviet Union's
collapse 1991, questions swirled about just how much of an unbeliever
was its last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.
....
Several European media outlets
were
quick to size up Gorbachev's half hour of silence at St. Francis' tomb
as proof that the 77-year-old former leader of an atheistic superpower
was, in fact, a Christian.
The
Italian newspaper La Stampa called his visit a "spiritual perestroika."
A story in the London Daily Telegraph's March 19 edition concluded
Gorbachev "has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time."
... So Gorbachev
recently decided to set the record straight.
"Over
the last few days some
media have been disseminating fantasies—I can't use any other
word—about my secret Catholicism, citing my visit to the Sacro Convento
friary, where the remains of St. Francis of Assisi lie," Gorbachev told
the Russian news agency Interfax. "To sum up and avoid any
misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist."
It's noteworthy to look back at the conservative reaction to
the
recent reports in the British press that Gorbachev had become
Christian. Most conservative sites, and most Catholic sites that
reported on this, believed these stories, and said "Hosanna!" But
their joy was premature. And we have proof - again - of the power
of propaganda, (2)
when it tells a (false) story that many people want to believe is true.
LP
__________________________________________
(1) News
Report
(2) The power o
propaganda or a how a journal
of a small country, Portugal, fooled the
whole world - including NASA!
From RC @ USA
-
Published
on March 24th, 2008 [letter
written on November 18th, 2007]
As
you know we are in the last two weeks of the church calendar. In
two
weeks, we will be lighting the First Advent Candle, God willing.
In
these last two weeks, the readings focus on the Second Coming of
Christ. While the RCC high command continues to admonish us that
no
one knows when He will come again, the RCC high command has little
credibility with those paying attention.
As
you have stated repeatedly over the last several years, MANY have
already met Jesus, since they are no longer with us, and no, they were
not raptured, but simply their bodies and souls were separated, and
their bodies are now in the ground.
All
these warnings and messages were very relevant for them.
Miguel
de Portugal asks nothing more of us than to listen and follow the Word
of God. When Jesus comes should not make any difference. We
know for
sure that He will come for each of us, sooner or later.
Miguel
simply and humbly advises us that we should be ready for that day,
whether it be today or tomorrow or thereafter.
We
should look forward to meeting Jesus, not fear it.
May
The Holy Spirit Guide us in our efforts to do God's Will.
Peace
RC
From KH @ USA
-
Published
on March 22nd, 2008 [Holy Saturday]
Good
Morning, dear Family,
Thank
you for your updates. Blessings and good wishes to you during
Holy Week.
What
JM has experienced [See posting of March 16th] in his church seems to
be quite common for other churches in that diocese, in spite of what's
stated in the diocesan norms. I visit a half-dozen or so
Charlotte churches on a regular basis, and have seen Communion
distributed exclusively from
the reserved hosts, and have also observed how these many hosts
have been questionably (in my mind) consecrated (1) during the Sunday Mass, because
of so many vessels on the altar and these so distanced from the
priest's extended hands during the Eucharistic prayers.
Even
during daily Mass, when the consecration appears to be done properly,
the reserved hosts are often still withdrawn and distributed by the
Eucharistic minister, which leaves half of those present who may not be
receiving the true Body and Blood.
I was
just feeling sad about this after the Mass attended for Palm Sunday
when I saw the above mentioned posting. I was planning to begin a
Novena today to the Blessed Mother in advance of the Annunciation,
so I think that I will pray that the Bishop will somehow enforce the
norms that are published for this diocese regarding the Holy
Eucharist.
I'm
running out of options as to where to attend Mass in this area, but I
am sure our situation is not exclusive... and I will follow your
recommendations for this week and future, so as to not offend God any
further and to receive the benefits and graces that Jesus wished us to
have when He left us His Gifts.
Yours
KH
NOTES
(1) About
Transubstantiation
From LP @ USA
-
Published
on March 20th, 2008 [Holy Thursday]
Some thoughts about Mr. Gorbachev's "conversion":
A. If the story of Gorbachev's Christianity were related as
"He just recently encountered Christ, repented, and is now seeking
spiritual instruction from the Franciscans," there would (as far as any
third party can tell) be a coherent story. A recent conversion
leaves Gorbachev room to say that he has turned away from, and put
behind him, any of his problematic deeds and words of his before (say)
2006 or 2007. (1)
In any case, if his conversion is real, he would deserve
tender support, and no second-guessing from doubters. I remember
how it was when I returned to the Faith in 1978, and how easily bruised
I might have been if someone had confronted or second-guessed me then
about the reality of my conversion. I made some changes in my
life at once; others have been a far slower process.
B. However, the way
the story is reported, it's being spun that Gorbachev has been a
closeted Christian for decades, and is now revealing himself. If
that is the case, Gorbachev's faith has borne this fruit:
- The comic-opera "coup" in the USSR in August 1991
- The impoverishment of the people of the ex-USSR after the
breakup of the Soviet Union
- As I documented in False Dawn (2),
the buildup of the Soviet bio-weapons arsenal, which began in the 1970s
and continued AFTER Gorbachev took power in the mid-1980s
- Gorbachev's active leadership in leftist NWO politics:
secular messianism of a "progressive" sort
- His open advocacy of a global one-child policy - which could
only work with a deadly mix of coercion, contraception, and abortion
If this is the quality of the "fruit," what can be the quality of
the tree of faith that bore this fruit?
C. Nevertheless, several conservative sites report on
Gorbachev's conversion, and all are saying "hosanna"
Kyrie eleison
LP
NOTES
(1) Read
some of Gorbachev's
statements
(2) False
Dawn -
Chapter 25
From WO @ USA
-
Published
on March 18th, 2008
As commentary on what is staring us in the face, here is the word
from a poster on the FSSP/OD controlled Angelqueen.org forum:
(Emphasis by WO)
".....'It will be a world where the
United States plays less of a role... and takes less of the world's
resources.'......... Also a world where Our Lady's Immaculate Heart
will
triumph. Two months folks, two months and this financial system will be
toast I believe. A new order of things is coming that
Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church will be a shinning
star in. No more differences, no more strife; all will be
Catholic. The only question is how much blood must be shed
to purchase this new world. God give us all the faith and
strength of the early martyrs." (1)
The person who wrote that should be a
script writer for Opus Dei (2),
and the World Masters. (3)
WO
______________________________
(1) Taken
from this page- then about half
way down the page, you are looking for the post by "fatima 1917". [
"Servitum" is John Grasmeir, the owner of the site.]
(2)
About Opus Dei's Plans
(3)
About the World Masters
From JM @ USA
-
Published
on March 16th, 2008 [Palm Sunday]
In reference to what appears
to be the preference of offering communion at Mass mostly from hosts
which are in reserve in the Tabernacle...
I was drawn to a document called "Liturgical
Norms Of the Diocese of Charlotte" and as I read the document I was
surprised to learn the following:
General
Norms (bold script is original, not my highlights)
12.
Planning for the Mass should include providing for a sufficient number
of hosts to be consecrated so that all can receive hosts consecrated
during that Mass, underlining the connection between consecration and
communion. Generally, reserved hosts
should not be brought from the
tabernacle unless needed at a particular Mass. (1)
This
addresses the issue but works around the central question of the
consecrated
status of the 'reserved hosts'...
If hosts are to be consecrated during the
Sacrifice of the Mass wherein they are to be consumed, why so many
"reserved hosts'? (2)
Have they been consecrated at
some previous Mass? Shouldn't by now any Parish could make informed
and
practical estimates on how many would be needed at a particular Mass
and thus avoid the "unless needed" and confusing issue of bringing out
and offering unconsecrated hosts?
______________________________
(1)
An
example from the Diocese of Venice
(2) These hosts are reserved for the sick
and for those who could not be present at the Mass.
From TJ @ USA
-
Published
on March 13th, 2008
Eliot Spitzer created a
controversy over abortion, but that is an old political game played
between the left and the right, with both sides needing each other to
make the politics work. Spitzer owes a political debt to the
pro-abort crowd for backing him through the election process.
To pay back that debt, he came out with an outrageous legislative plan
that does not seem like it could pass the legislature but sure
energizes the pro-aborts. In response, the pro-life side issues
fund-raising appeals and calls to organization to fight the
inflammatory proposal.
Normally, this process plays out where some practical legislators write
toxic language into the package, causing it to lose support to the
point where it is rejected, and nothing changes except for the bank
accounts of the political action organizers, and political debts are
paid. It works exactly the same way when an administration is
elected because of support from the pro-life side. Nobody seems
to want to really rock the boat, because the status quo is too useful
for maintaining a power base and quickly mobilizing fund-raising
efforts.
Sometimes a minority of the pro-life movement resorts to an
unconventional tactic: Prayer.
Perhaps that is behind the current scandal, but there is something more
at work here.
Eliot Spitzer was always highly judgmental of those he prosecuted, and
he prosecuted prostitution rings several times with his usual
moralizing tone. He came into office with the highest pretenses
of self-virtue of any politician in recent memory. This is a sure-fire
formula for a fall, as God does not long tolerate such a
holier-than-thou personality when He knows we all have our faults and
nobody save Jesus and Mary “deserve” to be so judgmental (and they
choose not to be!).
The Chinese have a saying to the effect “Be patient, and wait in front
of your house; eventually your enemy's funeral will pass you by”, which
essentially says that those who make many enemies eventually
self-destruct and it is better to calmly wait for it rather than to try
fighting them. Even if they lack the Christian faith, they
clearly understand the fall that pride surely brings.
Regards
TJ
From LP @ USA
-
Published
on March 10th, 2008
While visiting a Catholic
bookstore several days ago I could not help but notice the following
and its striking symbolism.
There was a shelf of newly-released books that they were promoting,
half of which were by or about Benedict XVI.
The sign above the shelf read "Hot
off the press". The words were within a circle, the lower
half of which was flame, and the upper half of which was darkness.
LP
From (Mr.) IW @ USA
-
Published
on March 7th, 2008 [ First
Friday Reparation]
(1)
I got a dose of reality therapy at Mass on Sunday.
I could not attend the usual Mass (a Latin/Gregorian Mass
of Paul
VI) at noon on Sunday due to a conflicting schedule. So I went
instead to the 4:30 pm Mass offered at XYZ Memorial Church. I had
gone there once before (for similar reasons) and it was fine. Not
this time. [Please Note: I went to worship; I did not go
intending to monitor the service for abuses, etc.]
Highlights of
the experience follow:
(a) Fortunately,
no non-Christian deities were invoked, and there was no feminist
language for God (i.e., prayers to "our Mother/Father in Heaven," which
happens in some liberal parishes.) And the priest did not
mess up the words of Consecration - so I felt comfortable about
receiving the Body of Christ at that Mass.
(b)
There was no Creed - neither Apostle's nor Nicene.
(c)
There was no kneeling at any time in the service - including at
the
Consecration, the Agnus Dei, and the "Lord I am not worthy"
prayer. (The chapel, an ornate Romanesque-style building used by
all Christian denominations, had no kneelers).
(d)
We stayed seated through the Gospel - which I have rarely
encountered
anywhere.
(e) The
psalm was Psalm 23 ... but in a modern hymn form that included lots of
subtle changes.
The refrain was "God alone may lead my Spirit far away from
want and fear, for the Lord is my true shepherd and I know that the
Lord is near." I thought it odd for them to capitalize "Spirit" in reference to anything
other than the Holy Spirit.
Verse 1: "I am led beside God's peaceful water and I
sleep in the arms of the earth. Who guides me along paths of
honor? Who refreshes my life from birth?" So "green pastures" becomes "arms of the earth", and "restores my soul" becomes "refreshes my life from birth."
Verse 4: "Only mercy and goodness pursue me while
that breath and that life endure. And I'll dwell in the house of
God's keeping who has opened the mouths of the poor." All
of this is a pale substitute for "I
shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
etc.
(f)
I can't report on the sermon, since I "accidentally"(?) took a
nap
during it.
(g)
After the usual "preparation of the gifts" prayer, there was a
long,
showy, hard-to-hear "Litany of Deliverance" sung by the choir, using
loud jazz-style instruments. While they were doing this number,
the "elect" from the RCIA class stood with the priest by the
altar. Whatever the Litany was, it was not the Litany of the
Saints or anything I had heard before. [Someone explained
me that what probably happened was that: The RCIA candidates were
supposed to have received a ritual exorcism from the priest.
Maybe the priest did so, but I could not see or hear that ... all that
was evident was the choir's jazzy song.]
(h)
The prayers of the people were mostly reasonable ... although
the end
of the first petition was "as we
build God's kingdom on earth." Seems odd, since I thought
that God was in charge of building His kingdom.
(i)
The collective effect of all this was that I listened very
closely to
the consecration prayer, so I could tell whether or not the priest said
the right words when consecrating the Elements. He did. But
in any case, the whole service became an anti-worship experience for
me. It was almost like being back in my Protestant Church days,
where I would have to listen carefully to prayers and hymns before I
could "go" with them, so as to avoid praying or singing something
heretical or idolatrous.
(j)
The Communion hymns were orthodox ... but they were maudlin "Jesus and me" hymns that would have
fit perfectly into a Baptist service - nothing about the Sacrament we
had just received.
I will not attend this service again, in the absence of a
very
clear sign that I must. I believe that I would have done better
to stay home and pray a Rosary or another edifying prayer.
During and after the service, I did pray for the service
leaders,
and I did offer up my perplexity, consternation, and distress as
Reparation for sins (and blasphemies).
I talked with a friend of mine - former Roman Catholic, now
Eastern Orthodox - about this, and he reminded me that I have had a
VERY privileged, protected parish life as a Catholic, since I have
attended Mass at very traditional churches in the Bay Area. In
other words, Sunday I got a taste of what is common in the Roman
Catholic Church in the West now. Ugh.
Of course, I know that complaint would be futile ... if
nothing
else, I know the nature of the Hierarchy to which such complaints would
be addressed.. But in the future, I can stay away from such trendy
"worship".
IW
_________________
(1) "I
promise you in the excessive Mercy of My Heart that My
all-powerful Love will grant to all those who communicate on the First
Friday in nine consecutive months the Grace of Final Penitence; they
shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My
Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."
From LP @ USA - Published
on March 3rd, 2008
I had mentioned to you Leni Riefenstahl and her 1934 Nazi
film, "Triumph of the Will" in
our
discussion of movies as "mass persuaders".
and
The first minute of the film is a dark screen with
classical music
... the credits and the film itself starts later.
If they could do that then, imagine what today's
propagandists do
now.
LP
From BS @ USA - Published
on March 1st, 2008 [ First
Saturday Reparation]
I came across this and wanted to pass it on.(1)
Could this be the "New Middle East" or at least plans for one? (2)
BS
_______________________________
(1) News
Item
(2) This is the
Brain Child
of Ralph Peters (3)
(3) Who is Ralph Peters?
From NP @
USA
-
Published for February 27th, 2008
Dear Miguel of Portugal,
A word of
thanks seems appropriate. I had rejected all things Marian at
approximately the turn of the century while continuing to adhere
closely to the Lord through study of the Scriptures. Now I sense
a
calling, or a wish for a calling from Mary, and have been reading The
Miracle Detective by Randall Sullivan, an excellent, well-researched,
factual and sympathetic account of the Medjugorje apparitions and the
author's own conversion. On pg. 374 the author recounts that on
the
return flight home from his second trip to Medjugorje, he was
"...seated
next to a jeweler from Philadelphia who offered me a lesson in how to
buy pearls. 'The most important thing to remember,' he said, 'is
that
you get what you pay for.'"
Immersed in
Scripture as I have been, that struck a chord. The pearl of great
price, I mused. You must sell everything to get it! Within
an hour or
two I was searching Google for "Marian warnings" (1) and found your site (2).
You talked of the invoice we'll be getting. I read for hours,
going
from link to link within your site, wherever it led me.
What
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for is the Pearl of Divine
Wisdom you recount from Our Lady's Fatima messages. Not to seek
mortification, but simply to accept what comes our way from day to day
and offer up. (3)
This apparently is advice I'm going to need.
Thanks,
and God bless you,
NP
Public
Forum - Part II : February 2008 Edition
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Forum - Part II : January 2008 Edition
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