Perhaps they will find an a deserted graveyard to use.
With an hour to the procession at MIT the crowd is starting to build The globe is here conducting interviews along with myself. I suspect this is going to be one of the most significant religious events in the area in a while.
Expect updates
A large canopy has just been brought in for the procession by a group of brothers. A busload of worshipers are now arriving
Update: Over 500 people processed from MIT all the way to Harvard where the Church could fit the crowd, (Base count 1200 plus an estimated 300 who couldn’t make it in. Meanwhile the Satanic Black Mass was cancelled and the taunting of the Catholic League by the Satanists failed to rattle them.
Final score God 3 Satan 0 full recap in the morning.
Update last: I’ll have the full story in a post in the morning but here are two videos to give you an idea of he crowd, first from the procession:
It took almost 5 minutes for all the people at the MIT Adoration to pass by.
Father Merrin:Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is relevant but anything beyond that is dangerous. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don’t listen to him. Remember that – do not listen.
The Exorcist 1972
They‘ll [the left] always tell us who they fear
Rush Limbaugh
One of the things we’ve talked about here at DaTechguy blog concerning Pope Francis has been how the media has tended to ignore stories that don’t fit the narrative they’ve constructed of him.
So I was really surprised to see the Washington Post decide that this aspect of Francis message warranted their attention
After his little more than a year atop the Throne of St. Peter, Francis’s teachings on Satan are already regarded as the most old school of any pope since at least Paul VI, whose papacy in the 1960s and 1970s fully embraced the notion of hellish forces plotting to deliver mankind unto damnation.
Largely under the radar, theologians and Vatican insiders say, Francis has not only dwelled far more on Satan in sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought to rekindle the Devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces of evil at his beck and call.
We’ve noticed the Pope’s willingness to bluntly talk about the devil before but apparently in this Harvard Black Mass world this seems to have gotten some people hackles up
by focusing on old-school interpretations of the Devil, some progressive theologians complain, the pope is undermining his reputation as a leader who in so many other ways appears to be more in step with modern society than his predecessor.
“He is opening the door to superstition,” said Vito Mancuso, a Catholic theologian and writer.
The complaints of progressive “catholic theologians” concerning “superstition” are as amusing as the Baptist minister who has no problem with Joshua stopping the sun, Jonah in the Whale, Christ feeding 5000 or Peter healing the cripple but calls the Eucharist a “magic trick”. If you claim to be a Catholic theologian and say “the Devil is superstition” then you’re doing it wrong.
This is a real change for the press compared to his predecessor
“Had Pope Benedict done this, the media would have clobbered him.”
Mind you this is a rather mild critique yet the media giving air to any complaints at all to the first Latin American Pope is unusual. I find it fascinating and telling that of all the things the Pope has done it is this that begins the attack upon him.
Why?
I suspect it’s because belief in the existence of the Devil runs counter to the two pillars of the secular left: Moral relativism & consequence free action. How can one promote hedonism and moral relativism without worry if there are not only absolute standards of good and evil but eternal consequences for the wrong choice?
Some ideas are just too dangerous to let stand and for the media this is the signal to turn.
They might have let a lot of things go but once you start acknowledging the Devil’s existence, that’s a bridge too far.
Perhaps it’s because it’s becoming more necessary.
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It’s not enough for Harvard to put out a press release saying that Harvard doesn’t “endorse the views or activities of any independent student organization.” Harvard simply would never allow itself or its properties to be associated with events that mock the religious beliefs, desecrate the sacred texts, or insult the spiritual sensitivities of Jews or Muslims.
Likewise it wouldn’t allow its reputation or institution to be affiliated in any way with the activities or views of an “independent student organization” that was reenacting the lynchings of African Americans or homophobic attacks or violence against women. Harvard would act decisively in those situations, both out of just concern for its own reputation but also out of moral outrage against such insensitivity that clear thinking, ethical people immediately recognize as evil.
That the question that Harvard has to answer, but in one sense the question concerning “burning a Koran” at Harvard is silly. The thought of doing such a thing would not occur to these “Satanists” as the islamic response would look nothing like this:
“In a recent statement, Pope Francis warned of the danger of being naïve about or underestimating the power of Satan, whose evil is too often tragically present in our midst. We call upon all believers and people of good will to join us in prayer for those who are involved in this event, that they may come to appreciate the gravity of their actions, and in asking Harvard to disassociate itself from this activity.”
The archdiocese plans to hold a holy hour at 8 p.m. Monday at St. Paul’s Church, located near the campus.
As Father Michael Drea Senior Chaplin of the Harvard Catholic Chaplaincy put it
While the Satanists are “historically re-enacting” the devil at Queen’s Head Pub, Father Drea said the Harvard Catholic community will respond to evil with good by hosting a Eucharistic Holy Hour at St. Paul’s Church from 8pm to 9pm “to focus on the gift of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.”
“We take strength from [the Eucharist] to be the life of Christ in the world, to bring his message of life and love into the world and to be effective ambassadors of the New Evangelization,” he said. “We want to help people understand the beauty and centrality of our Eucharistic theology and how we are nourished by this great gift of Our Lord’s body, blood, soul and divinity.”
These are important points but they are directed at Harvard by those in the faith trying to defend it, and them from a danger they don’t acknowledge.
Now that the MSM is covering the story they obviously have a secular take to their questions to those concerned, let me suggest a few:
1. If this “Cultural Studies event”as it has been widely reported is about “culture” why are they hosting a group that claims to not have the cultural belief in what they are doing?
I would think that the answer the Harvard “Cultural Studies” group gives would be rather newsworthy.
2. When the story of this event was being reported in blogs the spokespeople for the Satanic Temple had no problem stating they were using a Consecrated Host even confirming it in writing , once the story broke into mainstreammedianon-blogoutlets those confirmation were called “miscommunication” . How does the Satanic Temple and Harvard reconcile this change?
I would further ask do they have possession of a consecrated host? If so, how was it obtained and as they claim to respect all religions will it be returned?
3. As Harvard has plenty of Alumni who are Catholic and more than a few donors as well. Given that the Black mass is a direct parody or insult to the Catholic Mass by design what kind of public objection or statement will they make? Are you concerned that you will see more reactions like this?
“Harvard is under the same God as the rest of America, and religious freedom depends upon a shared reverence for Him while tolerating different religious beliefs. Given Harvard’s heritage as a divinity school, it ought to be well aware that this event will darken its name in the minds of Christians—and particularly Catholics—for generations to come.
I think donors or alums who profess Christianity might have an issue giving to and associating with a university that is unwilling to even object to the Black mass.
4. What do you insert name of Catholic pol as a Catholic pol think of Harvard’s black mass & their response?
There are plenty of pols running for office in 2014, many who have associations with Harvard. Furthermore there are plenty of Catholic pols out there including Democrat minority leader & the speaker of the house. What is going to happen when Harvard refusal to stop or even condemn this affront to their religion. Who is going to be the person on the floor of the House or Senate defending the Black mass at Harvard as free speech that should be protected as opposed to offence to Catholics worldwide. Will the same pols who critiqued the burning of the Koran by a southern pastor be as loud to defend Catholic sensibilities?
Do any of them give a nod to the blogs? No. But that’s okay. What’s important is getting the story seen, and hopefully some opportunity for the Diocese to teach the faith!
Still I think her efforts deserve acknowledgement
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“I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy. The ‘Life Force’, the worship of sex, and some aspects of Psychoanalysis, may here prove useful. If once we can produce our perfect work— the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls ‘Forces’ while denying the existence of ‘spirits’— then the end of the war will be in sight.”
I congratulate you on the success of your latest efforts at Harvard University. I must say, dear nephew, that you have hit the baseball ball over Fenway Park’s “Green Monster” (what a delightful name) with this one. These mortals, especially the ones who claim to not believe in anything supernatural, have fallen once again into the trap. Since they are convinced we do not exist (what a wonderful lie that is!), they convince themselves that they need not worry about invoking our master’s name in anyway, let alone worshipping him. To them, it is all a little harmless fun, and their celebration of a black mass is meant only “as an expression of personal independence from overwhelming cultural influences!” How utterly delightful!”
with Elizabeth adding the ending.
“once emancipated from all that overwhelming light, there will be so much more room for us to encroach and overtake with our blessed darkness.”
We too are tempted, we too are the target of attacks by the devil because the spirit of Evil does not want our holiness, he does not want our Christian witness, he does not want us to be disciples of Christ. And what does the Spirit of Evil do, through his temptations, to distance us from the path of Jesus? The temptation of the devil has three characteristics and we need to learn about them in order not to fall into the trap. What does Satan do to distance us from the path of Jesus? Firstly, his temptation begins gradually but grows and is always growing. Secondly, it grows and infects another person, it spreads to another and seeks to be part of the community. And in the end, in order to calm the soul, it justifies itself. It grows, it spreads and it justifies itself.
furthermore
“We are all tempted because the law of our spiritual life, our Christian life is a struggle: a struggle. That’s because the Prince of this world, Satan, doesn’t want our holiness, he doesn’t want us to follow Christ. Maybe some of you might say: ‘But Father, how old fashioned you are to speak about the devil in the 21st century!’ But look out because the devil is present! The devil is here… even in the 21st century! And we mustn’t be naïve, right? We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against Satan.”
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