Archive for April, 2024

Divine Mercy Novena Ninth and Final Day The Dangers of Being Lukewarm and Why You Should Take advantage of the Feast of Divine Mercy Tomorrow

Posted: April 6, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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Michael Corleone: It was Hyman Roth that tried to have me killed. I know it was him.
Frankie Pentangeli: Now — Jesus Christ, Mike, Jesus Christ. Look, let’s get ’em all — let’s get ’em all now, while we got the muscle.
Michael Corleone: This used to be my father’s old study — it’s changed. I remember there used to be a big desk, right here. I remember when I was a kid, Frankie, we had to be very quiet when we played near here. I was very happy that this house never went to strangers — first Clemenza took it over, now you. My father taught me many things here — he taught me in this room. He taught me — keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Now, if Hyman Roth sees that I interceded in this thing, and the Rosato brothers failed him, he’s gonna think his relationship with me is still good. Capide?
Frankie Pentangeli: Capide.
Michael Corleone: That’s what I want him to think. I want him completely relaxed, and confident, in our friendship. Then I’ll be able to find out who the traitor in my family was.

The Godfather Part 2 1974

Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday and for the first time in a lot of years I won’t be around for the many Divine Mercy events that are taking place in churches around the world as part of this day.

But I CAN complete the Divine Mercy Novena with this prayer that really is critical:

Today bring to Me SOULS WHO HAVE BECOME LUKEWARM,* and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayers pray the chaplet. Instructions are here.

The site for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is here.

Let me close with three things about lukewarm souls:

First in Scripture Christ specifically admonishes being Lukewarm

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea, write this: ” ‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this:

“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.”

‘”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.”

‘”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘”

Revelation 3:14-22

Second in the Screwtape letters C. S. Lewis talks specifically about how easy the lukewarm follow the gentle path to damnation.

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,

Finally it is the lukewarm that need this mercy the most because they don’t realize or are in denial of the danger they are in. The best explanation of how this works comes from the end of a sermon from St. Leonard of Port Maurice which was on the subject of if most Catholics are damned or saved:

 As for the rest, compare these two opinions: the first one states that the greater number of Catholics are condemned; the second one, on the contrary, pretends that the greater number of Catholics are saved. Imagine an Angel sent by God to confirm the first opinion, coming to tell you that not only are most Catholics damned, but that of all this assembly present here, one alone will be saved. If you obey the Commandments of God, if you detest the corruption of this world, if you embrace the Cross of Jesus Christ in a spirit of penance, you will be that one alone who is saved.

Now imagine the same Angel returning to you and confirming the second opinion. He tells you that not only are the greater portion of Catholics saved, but that out of all this gathering, one alone will be damned and all the others saved. If after that, you continue your usuries, your vengeances, your criminal deeds, your impurities, then you will be that one alone who is damned.

That’s why being lukewarm is of the greatest danger. When you feel completely safe is the time of greatest peril. There is a reason why I led this post with Michael Corleone’s instructions to Frank Pentangeli. The Devil wants you to feel safe, to feel secure, to decide that your sins are not a big deal. To decide you don’t need confession, that your sins are trivial, that you don’t need Divine Mercy. He wants you completely relaxed and confident so that when the day of your death comes you will not be prepared and it will not only be too late but he will take great pleasure in reminding you of all the chances to had to take advantage of the mercy of God, but passed them up.

So do not fail to take advantage of this great feast of Divine Mercy. Wash yourself clean via the blood of Christ and get yourself going in the right direction.

Because you are not promised tomorrow, cripes you aren’t even promised the rest of today.

Divine Mercy Novena Day Eight

Posted: April 5, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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The Penultimate day of the Divine Mercy Novena:

Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayers pray the chaplet. Instructions are here.

The site for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is here.

Mike McDonnell, Leaving the Democrats, Failure, Irony and God’s Mysterious Ways

Posted: April 5, 2024 by datechguy in News/opinion, politics
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11th Doctor: You know, since we’re talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you have never been very reliable.
The Tardis (In Idris’ body): And you have?
11th Doctor: You didn’t always take me where I wanted to go.
The Tardis (In Idris’ body): No, but I always took you where you needed to go.

Doctor Who: The Doctor’s Wife 2012

This morning I saw something on twitter that jumped out at me. The story of a Nebraska state Senator, an Irish Catholic Democrat who finally decided to join the side he was on when it was made clear to him by the party he had stuck with all his life that if he was pro-life he was not welcome or to be supported:

It instantly brought back memories of my first CPAC back when it was held in DC proper. I had gone to McDonalds because it was so much cheaper than the food inside (wonder if it still is today) and I hit me to interview the transit workers at the subway spot who were Democrats and Obama Supporters as they were completely different than the folks I was interviewing inside

I asked them why they were Democrats and one of them turned the tables on me and asked why I was a republican so I turned the camera on myself and gave an answer that sounded a lot like Mike McDonnell’s (about 58 seconds in)

It hit me that all of these videos had so few views now after having so many before on Youtube before I was banned and that I had gone from nearly 1000 subscribers and being ready to finally monetize the platform (I was banned when I reached 998 subscribers) to just a few dozen on Rumble with so much of my work that I did over the course of 13 years now unseen.

Of course this was the time when I was doing subscriber commentaries (that’s what Youtube used to ban me fyi) and I found one of them that I had put out as a “free” commentary to attract subscribers and is one of the better things I did.

Ah the days before my front left implant fell out

The commentary is on responsibility and how we’ve become a society of Narcissists (and BOY have we gotten worse since) but what really hit me was the Tip Jar pitch and the irony of the results.

At that time I was rising and making my pitch to rise higher but as I listed to that commentary again it occurred to me that for all the moaning I’ve done over the loss of my shift and job worries of today, if that pitch had been successful, if I had a large following and had been able to make a good living as a commentator covering events and interviewing people I would most certainly be in jail today.

You see if I had made it I would of course have gone to cover the Trump rally on January 6th 2021 covered the speeches and interviewing people there. I would have shot footages of the marches etc and when the people went into the capital I certainly would have gone in interviewing both protesters and police, giving commentary and reporting on events as they happened and uploaded all of it & written about it to inform my readers.

Thus I would have most assuredly been arrested, charged and convicted of whatever this administration and those who control is deemed to accuse of me of. I’d be rotting in a jail in DC awaiting the return of America to the days before political foes were considered enemies of the state, DaWife would likely have lost the house, with my sons taking care of her the best they could, unless they had come with me as assistants and met the same fate as Karl Rove nodded his head in approval.

My failure spared me and my family this fate that a lot of other honorable men have had to face and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m glad my family was spared it.

Life turns on little things like then so when I finish my taxes today and look at the various struggles I have to deal with I’m reminded of what faith is.

Faith isn’t believing that God exists. This is a basic fact, faith is having trust that God knows what he is doing even when he hasn’t clued you in.

Divine Mercy Novena Day Seven Still a Hard Season

Posted: April 4, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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The Lenten and Easter season has not been an easy one for me and a harder one for my friend Vinny who lost his father at the age of 95 this week.

I ask for prayers for both as we continue the novena:

Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ESPECIALLY VENERATE AND GLORIFY MY MERCY,* and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayers pray the chaplet. Instructions are here.

The site for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is here.

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