Author: Cathy Nolan

Fasting… March 2, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! “Dear children! God has permitted me to be with you also today, to call you to prayer and fasting…” (February 25, 2021 Message) We are in the second week of Lent. It is not too late to start a plan of prayer and fasting for these days of grace. I want to share with you some wonderful words of encouragement about fasting. They come from Fr. Daniel Maria Klimek, T.O.R. Fr. Daniel is doing a weekly program on Mary TV called “Living the Message”. I highly recommend his programs!!! And on his latest show, “Living the Messages – 011 – How to Fast”, Fr. Daniel gives some excellent advice on fasting. I will transcribe a section of his talk for you here but you will want to watch the whole video on Mary TV: I got a really good question from a viewer. The question was, “What are the different ways of fasting?” It is such a good question, not only because there are different ways, but because when we combine them, we enter a more wholistic spirituality. There are various benefits that fasting can have. There are spiritual benefits, but I also believe that fasting, if we look at it in diverse ways can even help us socially to become better communicators, to become better listeners, to become better friends. There are certain fasts that are mental or verbal fasts that not only help us in the battle of sin but also in the area of human development and communication. So let me give you an example. Let’s say you are someone who really struggles with pride. Maybe pride is an issue. One fast you could consider is a verbal fast. It is to go a whole week, and then extend it to the next week, step by step…without speaking about yourself. That could be difficult for some people. Maybe you are one of these people who loves to be the center of attention. The person who holds court at the table, the person who is the story teller. And yes, this could be really asking for a lot. But you know what will happen, not only will there be growth in terms of interior humility, but also there will be such social benefits. Because you will be forced to discover more about the people around you. You will be forced to have deeper conversations. You will be encouraged to actually ask deeper questions about who they are, what are their experiences. And of course there are other ways of fasting. In addition to this verbal fasting where you decide not to talk about yourself as much, there is also an intentional decision not to gossip, to be very careful about your speech in general, and also the mental, the interior. Let’s say you are someone who struggles with negative thinking. Maybe negative thoughts come into your mind often. Maybe it is negative thoughts about various people. Here is a strategy. When a negative thought enters about a person that you usually dwell on, that you usually entertain, turn it into a prayer! That’s right, turn it into a form of spiritual intercession. Start to pray instantaneously for that person who has entered your mind. Why is that powerful? Because you have taken something that could be a potential vice, this inner judgmentalism, and you have transformed it into something sacred. A prayer for the individual. An act of intercession. So there is an interior cleansing of your mind that is happening, and there is also grace that enters the world for that soul who needs it. So you notice how this interior fasting can become a spiritual discipline. And help a person to become an intercessor in their lives. Fr. Daniel Maria Klimek, T.O.R – Living the Message! https://marytv.tv/living-the-message-2/?smid=iRxxfcsY1Tk&slid=OrRUoFrsi1j Fr. Daniel went on to talk about bodily fasting. The whole talk is very helpful. You can view it on our website at the link above. Let’s not waste a moment of this time of grace!! Let’s ramp up our prayer and fasting! St. Joseph, help us to pray and fast as you did: Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021 PS. Denis and I have recorded the Spiritual Warfare Prayers and posted them on the Mary TV website so you can pray them along with us! Here is the link: https://marytv.tv/spiritual-warfare-prayers/    

God has permitted me to be with you… March 1, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! “Dear children! God has permitted me to be with you also today, to call you to prayer and fasting. Live this time of grace and be witnesses of hope, because I repeat to you, little children, that with prayer and fasting also wars can be suppressed. Little children, believe and live this time of grace in faith and with faith; and my Immaculate Heart does not leave any of you in peacelessness if you have recourse to me. I intercede for you before the Most High and I pray for peace in your hearts and for hope for the future. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (February 25, 2021) I feel like it is important to look at this message as a whole before taking it line by line.  When I read it all at once, I have the most profound sense of peace.  It is as if Our Lady is showing us this moment in time in picture form as God sees it.  And I feel like our way of seeing this time is only seeing the “negative” of that picture.  We see everything in black and white, with shadows all through it.  But if we could see the true picture of our world right now, we would see brilliant colors with breathtaking beauty and joy. For instance, Our Lady tells us the God has permitted her to be with us also today.  Seen in God’s positive light, Our Lady’s presence is His provision for yet another day, another month.  Could we ask for anything more? After Holy Mass yesterday in which we heard the Transfiguration account, I felt led to pray to Moses, to beg him to come to our aid in these days, because we need help!  But as soon as I prayed this, I heard these words in my heart, “You do not need me, for indeed your have someone of far greater holiness and power with you in these days.  She is all you need.”  My heart was flooded with faith and hope.  For of course this is true!  Our Lady is far more powerful than even Moses! And she has told us “God has permitted me to be with you also today!”  What is there to fear? It is the same when she speaks of prayer and fasting, of suppressing wars, of living this time of grace in faith and with faith, of Her Immaculate Heart never leaving us in peacelessness, and on and on! This message is manna for this month.  If we read and pray it each day, we may soon see things in vibrant color, in the truth of God’s provision and His love! St. Joseph, please help us to see our time as Our Lady sees it, as Our Father in Heaven sees it, so that we can help her by prayer and fasting, peace and hope! Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

If you have recourse to me! February 26, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! Yesterday we received a beautiful message from Our Lady!  I will send it out in full today as well, because I think it is very important.  Our Lady in the message calls us to prayer and fasting.  But it is not out of desperation!  She wants us to pray and fast in order to be filled with faith, and peace and hope in the future!  This is so important for us now in these days.  We must listen to her Heart!!  It is a Heart full of truth for us. So as we pray about this message, let’s allow Our Lady to embrace us, so close that we can hear her heart beat!  It is a heart full of love for us, and we need to hear that heart beat of love constantly so that we can grow in peace and hope and love! Here again is the message: “Dear children! God has permitted me to be with you also today, to call you to prayer and fasting. Live this time of grace and be witnesses of hope, because I repeat to you, little children, that with prayer and fasting also wars can be suppressed. Little children, believe and live this time of grace in faith and with faith; and my Immaculate Heart does not leave any of you in peacelessness if you have recourse to me. I intercede for you before the Most High and I pray for peace in your hearts and for hope for the future. Thank you for having responded to my call.”  (February 25, 2021) Also, here is our prayer to St. Joseph!  We want to be very close to him as well Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

I pray for peace in your hearts! February 25, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! Here is the February 25, 2021 Message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace! “Dear children! God has permitted me to be with you also today, to call you to prayer and fasting. Live this time of grace and be witnesses of hope, because I repeat to you, little children, that with prayer and fasting also wars can be suppressed. Little children, believe and live this time of grace in faith and with faith; and my Immaculate Heart does not leave any of you in peaceless-ness if you have recourse to me. I intercede for you before the Most High and I pray for peace in your hearts and for hope for the future. Thank you for having responded to my call.”  (February 25, 2021) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021  

Yearn for Heaven! February 24, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! Tomorrow we anticipate a new message from Our Lady!  As we wait in prayer, let’s cherish the message we received in January: “Dear children! I am calling you at this time to prayer, fasting and renunciation, that you may be stronger in faith. This is a time of awakening and of giving birth. As nature which gives itself, you also, little children, ponder how much you have received. Be joyful bearers of peace and love that it may be good for you on earth. Yearn for Heaven; and in Heaven there is no sorrow or hatred. That is why, little children, decide anew for conversion and let holiness begin to reign in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (January 25, 2021) “Yearn for Heaven; and in Heaven there is no sorrow or hatred.” If we all could live this one call from Our Lady for the entirety of Lent, we would arrive at Holy Week with strong hearts!  Instead of yearning for earthly goods, we would be yearning for the extreme good of life in Heaven.  We would not be fooled into mourning the things of earth.  We would know where our true life is hidden.  And we would be strong. St. Joseph!  Please teach us to yearn for Heaven, to place all our hopes on eternal life with our God, and to let go of earthly attachments.  May we live with Heaven as our home. Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

Trust in God who is your Father in Heaven… February 23, 2021 St. Polycarp Dear Family of Mary! The Gospel for today: Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This is how you are to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”  (Mt 6:7-15) In so few words, and with such a practical focus, Jesus shows us how to come close to His Father in Heaven.  And we so long to be there, in close union with Our Father!  This Lent can be a time to snuggle even closer to the Heart of our Father, through the guidance of Jesus, and Him Mother, Mary.  She also teaches us how to draw close to the Heavenly Father in this message: “Dear children! In this peaceless time, I am calling you to have more trust in God who is your Father in Heaven and who has sent me to lead you to Him. You, open your hearts to the gifts which He desires to give you and, in the silence of your heart, adore my Son Jesus who has given His life so that you may live in eternity – where He desires to lead you. May your hope be the joy of a meeting with the Most High in everyday life. Therefore, I am calling you: do not neglect prayer because prayer works miracles. Thank you for having responded to my call.”  May 25, 2018 Mother Mary tells us that in it in trust that we will find Our Father in Heaven.  The more we trust Him, the more He will reveal Himself to us!  And Jesus, the same.  As we adore Him, in the Blessed Sacrament, our trust grows, and His presence grows in our hearts.  We must long for a joyful meeting with the Most Hight, and pray, pray, pray…because prayer works miracles!! Such an invitation!  How can we say no??? St. Joseph, please help us to say yes to Our Lady’s call to have more trust in God our Father, and to pray as much as we can to Him so that miracles will happen! Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

“As a shepherd leads his flock…” February 22, 2021 Feast of the Chair of Peter the Apostle Dear Family of Mary! Today we remember the mandate that Jesus said to St. Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it…” Jesus gave Peter the primacy in His Church because Peter was listening to the Father, who is the great Shepherd.  Peter would be a shepherd as long as he listened to the Father in Heaven.  And the Church would be built on a firm foundation. We often forget that the Great Shepherd is God the Father.  It is from Him that our popes receive their authority and wisdom. Always.  Our Lady told us very clearly that God is our Shepherd, first and foremost, in this message: “Dear children! Also today I call you to pray, pray, pray. Little children, when you pray you are close to God and He gives you the desire for eternity. This is a time when you can speak more about God and do more for God. Therefore, little children, do not resist but permit Him to lead you, to change you and to enter into your life. Do not forget that you are travelers on the way toward eternity. Therefore, little children, permit God to lead you as a shepherd leads his flock. Thank you for having responded to my call.”  (November 25, 2006) “Permit God to lead you as a shepherd leads his flock!!”  May we never forget this.  The Father wants to lead us, carefully and gently along the right path, always protecting us and correcting us lest we get off the path.  We are very safe with Him. Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. And St. Joseph is a pretty good shepherd as well.  Think of how he listened to God and then lead and protected the Holy Family! Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

  Live the fast! February 19, 2021 Friday after Ash Wednesday Dear Family of Mary! Lent is a time of fasting.  One of Our Lady’s Five Stones is the call to fast at least twice a week on bread and water.  Our Lady has been firm on this point, and she has made it clear that all should fast somehow on Wednesday and Friday.  Here is one of her messages about fasting: September 26, 1985 “Dear children! I thank you for all the prayers. Thank you for all the sacrifices. I wish to tell you, dear children, to renew the messages which I am giving you. Especially live the fast, because by fasting you will achieve and cause me the joy of the whole plan, which God is planning here in Medjugorje, being fulfilled. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady depends in part on our fasting.  This may be difficult to understand.  But it may be that Our Lady needs disciples who are accustomed to denying themselves so that when the going gets tough during the battle for her triumph, we will be ready.  We will be able to think beyond our own needs to the greater good. Today’s Gospel speaks of fasting as well: The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:14-15) Jesus was talking about His Crucifixion and Death, and that things would get serious for His disciples at that time.  They would need to be able to deny themselves in order to have the strength to witness the Kingdom!  We all need to double down in our commitment to Jesus and Mary!  And that is one of the great benefits of Lent.  We learn to deny ourselves again and get tough!! Let’s ask St. Joseph to help us fast.  He was a truly “tough” guy!  He denied himself for the sake of Jesus and Mary throughout his time with them.  Let us pray: Prayer to St. Joseph (adapted from St. Bernardine of Siena) Oh my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may serve the Blessed Virgin Mary in her battle against the devil in these last days, always living her messages and answering her call from Medjugorje, so that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph in this world. Finally, St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgement from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen. Dear St. Joseph, help me respond to this message from Our Lady: “Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (September 25, 1991) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021 PS.  Stefanie (thank you, Stefanie) has transcribed the homily that Fr. Leon gave on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday at English Mass in Medjugorje.  Talk about being tough!  Fr. Leon makes it clear that we cannot be so comfortable with our lifestyles that we will compromise with the forces of evil just to stay comfortable.  Here is the homily: English Homily in Medjugorje Thursday, February 18, 2021 Fr. Leon Pereira HOMILY Many years ago when I was a novice in Edinboro, in the local newspaper, “The Scotsman” – the national newspaper – they had an article, and the headline was, “I am a Catholic in the football sense.”  And it was actually a real quote from a young man; and what he meant was, his Catholicism was, he supported Celtic, the football club: “I am a Catholic in a football sense.”  And the article was about, is Catholicism more or less meaningless in Scotland in the year 1998? Now, there is a lot of this “Catholic in a football sense.”  When we look at history, Catholicism doesn’t necessarily take deep roots in a culture.  The whole culture is affected, and people go along with it.  For example, here, here in Medjugorje in the early days, Gospa – Our Lady – complained.  She said, “Many of you are fasting, but only because everyone else is fasting.”  And she said, “Fast from the heart.”  So, there’s this idea like, “if everyone else is doing it, then I’ll do it too.” So, for example, in our time, very Catholic countries like, The Philippines, and Kerala, Southwest India, when they migrate and go to the west, if they don’t keep up their cultural trappings – their festivals, their food, etc. – you very rapidly see, the faith, also, be eroded among them; very quickly. So, one of the things in history that we see, is that the English church was almost completely destroyed by The Reformation – so-called “Reformation” – and very few people, “The Refuseniks” refused to conform.  They were called the “Recusants.”  And then, the Irish started coming across, for all sorts of reasons – to work in the fields, the farms, the factories – and they started to lapse very quickly from Catholicism.  And the English Catholics – the very few who were there – were so appalled, they thought, “We need allies, we need more allies!”  So, they worked among them; and then the faith was kept. Why does this happen? When Cardinal Basil Hume of Westminster died, they said on the radio, “Here, at last, was a man who made Catholicism respectable.”  Respectable enough for the English.  This is such a condescending thing to say.  But what they meant was, “We don’t like Catholics.  They are beneath us.  They’re beneath our dignity.”  And, of course, that puts a pressure on Catholics.  “You can be just like us.  You could be acceptable, respectable, if you sacrifice your faith.” We see this in America with politicians.  Just a few days ago, they had a vote in the Senate to say that “every baby born alive must be protected and given treatment, whether she is born through natural birth, or whether she is born through an induced abortion.”  And it failed by 8 votes.  And 13 Catholics voted in favor of letting these babies die:  13 Catholics.  They could have swung the vote.  But their Catholicism meant nothing to them.  Nothing. They wanted to be part of the world.  They wanted to be part of the Democratic Party, I suppose; of that Leftist Culture, of killing babies, even when they’re born alive.  Their Catholicism did not mean that much. “I’m Catholic, but only in a football sense.”  “I’m Catholic when it suits me.”  “I’m Catholic when it’s St. Patrick’s Day.” What does that mean? Well, the collapse of the Church in many parts of the world – it happens traditionally in Catholic cultures.  In the 70’s, or 60’s, even, it happened in Quebec.  And when it happened in Quebec, I think, many people realized, “This is going to happened in Ireland.”  And it did.  And it’s happening now in Malta, Poland, all these other countries; and Singapore, where I’m from.  I’m sure the Church will collapse there, if things carry on.  Because, it hasn’t taken root, really, in the hearts of people.  It is “something we do because everyone else does it.”  But when everyone else stops doing it, then we stop doing it too.  That’s not a Faith.  That’s, “Catholic in a football sense.”  And then, what do we do?  We vote for abortion and call ourselves, “catholic.” This is what’s coming, for all of us, everywhere.  Jesus asks us to choose.  He tells us very plainly why the Son of Man has come: “To suffer, be rejected, and be killed; and on the third day, rise.”  This is why He comes.  There is no “Christ” without “the Cross.”  There is NO “Gospel of Oprah Winfrey.”  Of Deepak Chopra.  And all that nonsense.  You know, “Christ-centered consciousness;” or some New Age babble… You see, when the Church collapses, in all “the manure,” you find “the Diamond:” the people who have kept the faith.  I chose that image deliberately – deliberately!  For all those who want to say they are “Catholic in a football sense,” I’m telling you: “You are manure.” Choose.  Choose Jesus.  Be a Diamond.  Don’t be manure. And then Jesus says, “If you would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.” I don’t think the world is ever going to be, “the way it was.”  Everyone needs to live.  You need a job.  You need some money coming in.  You need food, and money to pay the bills, and all that.  That’s true.  But things are never going to be “the way they were.”  And if you desire that, then you are ripe – ripe! – for the antichrist when he comes.  Because he will promise you everything you want:  Your life as it was before.  “All you have to do is sign on the dotted line. (Don’t read the fine print.)”  And many people will do this, because they want their lives “the way they were.”  It’s never going to be that way. Choose, every day.  Choose Christ.  Christ, for His sake.  Christ, with the Cross.  Not, “Christ in the football sense.”  Not, Christ in a cultural sense.  Not, Christ in the sense of “pierogi.”  Or any other thing.  NO!  The Real Jesus:  Jesus who hangs on that cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.