Countdown to the Kingdom

They have turned into a crust, schematic and merely formal, covering an enormous void and the betrayal of their God. And they are, as in the time of My Son, a blanched sepulcher of faith and daily living with the Father. The time is coming for the breaking of the crust covering up the living hearts of My children. I thirst for hearts that are alive, fervent, pulsating with love and with devotion to the Father, who is Love and Life.

Yes, that is very strong and to the point. It's like we're operating within a veneer, a formal type of veneer, of an institutional Church rather than authenticity of the Spirit constantly renewing us. Like the analogy of the dry bones of the OT....without life. All of that has to be renewed. We were allowed to get the basics of our Faith during the more stable time but we didn't carry that on outside of that security to the point that we formed a crust around us. We became complacent and didn't really know what we had. The Spirit has been stifled. Why else would our Lady be telling us in some places that heaven will be leading us since the Church is now in a state of confusion and it will only grow? Heaven has to break through that crust....and we see that w/ the means heaven chooses to do that, via the chosen messengers revealing lots of new things and telling us that we need that renewal within, but too many aren't even aware that such a crust exists and binds them and thus they refuse to hear this help from heaven. So more and more predictions will come to pass that must be used to awaken us and break through those thick crusts....and that won't be pleasant for many!

 

Thank you, earthtoangels, you are blessed, and a blessing to others. I am blessed by being here and reading and learning all of this, because I understand about the "crust."
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Byron, regarding your post about Emmett O'Regan, I visited the Unveiling the Apocalypse website (recommended by Christy) cited in your post above, and followed Emmett's link to an earlier article of his about Fr. Iannuzzi.

The article is dated 22 May, 2016, it is noteworthy because in this article Emmett O'Regan cites our forum, Mother of God forum.

Apparently a serious theological discussion took place among several of Mr. O'Regan's followers and some of our members, which also included Daniel O'Connor. The discussion was related to eschatology, and the different opinions held about the Era of Peace.

This definitely explains a lot of the activity we have been having here since we opened the threads about the Countdown to the Kingdom website.

 

Absolutely. I’ve read Emmett’s blog for years. He has his beliefs and interpretations. But they aren’t exactly the Catechisms interpretation. I don’t criticize him, he has a creative mind and has his right to publicize his interpretation on Revelations. But it certainly does not mean he’s right. Sometimes I felt he wrote more like a Protestant.

 

[Edited] I didn't recommend the Unveiling site, Booklady. I merely found it in an online search, with some pertinent information. I am not a regular reader, nor an advocate.

If Fr. Iannuzzi is still separated from his order and his superior, that is very unfortunate! I'd like any current information. (With links?)
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This is my stance on Unveiling the Apocalypse as well. I am not a regular reader, but have read two articles there. I actually like the comments section.
I echo Christy’s thoughts and wonder about the possible irregularities concerning Fr Iannuzzi and his order.

 

Theologian Raises ‘Grave Concerns With ‘Seer’

July 14, 2020 by sd

From the Mail:

By Dr. Mark Miravalle St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology Franciscan University of Steubenville

1 The Messages of Fr. Rodrigue: A Theological Evaluation

After numerous requests from international Catholic bishops, clergy, lay leaders and faithful for a theological evaluation of the alleged messages of Fr. Michel Rodrigue, a priest within the Diocese of Amos, Quebec, Canada, whose messages have largely been promulgated through the website, Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/, I hereby provide the following initial theological analysis...

After examining Fr. Rodrigue’s general teachings and prophesies as contained in his “Virtual Retreats,”2 I offer the following 10 specific elements as only a sampling of theological assertions, factual assertions, and prophetic assertions which, in my opinion, logically and prudently lead to grave theological and pastoral concerns regarding the authenticity and, consequently, the potentially dangerous pastoral ramifications of Fr. Rodrigue’s alleged messages....

According to Fr. Rodrigue’s discussion of his childhood, his autobiographical testimony reveals an unusual exposure to diabolical activity, juxtaposed with highly questionable responses to these reported diabolical experiences on the part of Fr. Rodrigue himself.

Fr. Rodrigue reports that his father and mother, as well as himself, believed that their house was possessed by Satan for many years. He alleges that both a priest and bishop respectively came to his childhood home to attempt some form of exorcism, but both were each met with a roaring demon and “ran away” with the bishop, allegedly “Yelping, I can’t do it! I can’t do it!”4 After the death of his father, the young Michel, with the consent of his mother, set fire to his family home, causing his house to burn to the ground.5 Regarding the burning down of his family home as a child, Fr. Rodrigue currently comments, “This was one of the best decisions we made as a family…”6

[Edited to add]

...Although the mystical and hagiographical tradition of the Church include some testimonies of saints and mystics experiencing occasional diabolical experiences during their youth, the unusual nature and degree of these alleged diabolical attacks, i.e., something “within” the alleged visionary and “close to his heart,” as well as the young Michel’s response to these alleged Satanic attacks appear problematic. For example, the burning down of his family house due to its suggested Satanic possession would not represent a traditionally prudent nor a balanced response. Moreover, the climbing upon a hot wood burning stove for relief from diabolically induced pain certainly falls outside of the Church’s spiritual Tradition for combatting forms of diabolical attack, obsession, or possession, and could even beg the question, if accurate, of what type of preternatural force would allow him to climb upon a hot wood burning stove without causing physical harm to his body. Both responses merit theological and psychological concern...

3 Theological Assertion: The Heavenly Father and Fr. Rodrigue are “One”

In an alleged message from God the Father, the Heavenly Father directs people to do everything they can to help Fr. Rodrigue construct a monastery for his new order, reportedly ending his directive with the statement: “I refuse nothing of what he [Fr. Rodrigue] asks of me. He and I are one.”9

To state that Fr. Rodrigue is “one” with God the Father, and that God the Father refuses Rodrigue “nothing” has extremely dangerous theological ramifications. The former theological formulation that God the Father and Fr. Rodrigue are “one” is typically understood and reserved as a profession of divinity, i.e., when Jesus states in Scripture, “The Father and I are one (Jn. 10:30)...”

REST OF THE MESSAGE AT SPIRIT DAILY

https://spiritdaily.org/blog/mail/theologian-raises-grave-concerns-with-seer

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Yup, too many theological errors in Fr. Rodrigue's prophecies

 

This article expresses many of the concerns I’ve felt about this “ prophet “...not. Just listening to his first videos, there were obviously too many flags that demonstrated that he was not to be believed.

Please take the time to read this. I think this should end anymore debate.

It’s probable that because this priest mixed some truths with his “ prophecies”, many were genuinely mislead.

 

Thank you for posting this, Christy. Very enlightening. This should indeed end any more debate, as Beth mentioned.

 

Dr. Mark Miravalle has allowed for open distribution of his critique of Fr. Rodrigue, citing many dangerous errors, so I am adding his summary.

Conclusion

In summation, the alleged messages of Fr. Rodrigue contain significant and repeated examples of theological and factor error, coupled with legitimate concerns regarding his emotional and psychological stability—all of which, according to the norms issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and confirmed by the Papal Magisterium, essentially lead to the theological conclusion that the alleged messages of Fr. Rodrigue and his concurring mystical experiences are not authentic (constat de non supernaturalitate).

The fact that there remain elements contained within Fr. Rodrigue’s messages which do in fact correspond to the authentic private revelation of Jesus and his Mother to contemporary humanity, i.e., references to devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary; the power of the Rosary, the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Eucharistic Adoration, Illumination of Conscience,20 etc., do not in themselves lead to an overall conclusion of supernatural authenticity of this particular alleged seer and his asserted messages.

Fr. Rodrigue repeatedly refers to the large quantity of other private revelations with which he is familiar, i.e., Fatima, Garabandal, Akita, Medjugorje, Divine Mercy, Maria Valtorta, etc. which allows for the possibility that true elements contained in these messages could have been consciously or unconsciously added to his own human reflections.


In fact, it is precisely the dubious mixing of supernatural messages from true sources with messages of a human, psychological or preternatural origin which can cause the greatest possible damage of confusion and panic among the People of God. Alleged messages such as these can lead to a grave and even diabolical distraction from the truly supernatural and critically important messages of private revelation from God the Father, Jesus, and Our Lady to contemporary humanity, which are always accompanied by the great spiritual fruits of Christian peace, joy, and hope, rather than fear, anxiety, and panic.

19 Fr. Michel Rodrigue, “The Time of the Refuges,” Countdown to the Kingdom, Accessed July 10, 2020, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/fr-michel-rodrigue-the-time-of-the-refuges/. 20

On a related note, my theological comment regarding the book, The Warning: Testimonies and Prophesies of the Illumination of Conscience by Christine Watkins, a more detailed and nuanced statement which did not appear on the cover of the book in its full content or context with which it was originally submitted to the author, called for a serious discernment and wide reading concerning the possibility of an upcoming Illumination of Conscience, which constitutes the major theme of the text. However, my supportive comment regarding the possibility of an upcoming Warning should in no sense be interpreted as a positive theological approval of all of the alleged visionaries cited in this book, which includes those of Fr. Rodrigue.

Once repeated theological and factual error have been determined in an alleged message, the prudence and wisdom of the Church and her respective norms for evaluating reported private revelation call for an immediate distancing from that alleged source, and appropriately lead to the conclusion that the individual cannot be considered a valid and dependable human instrument of authentic supernatural private revelation. To continue to entertain alleged messages from a source determined to be unreliable could be considered to be highly imprudent and spiritually dangerous.

For these reasons, it is my personal theological opinion that the alleged messages of Fr. Rodrigue should not be considered an authentic source of private revelation, but, on the contrary, represents a potentially dangerous mixture of falsity and truth, of darkness and light, which can cause untold confusion, anxiety, panic for the Christian faithful, as well constitute a substantial distraction from the authentic and quintessentially important prophetic messages of Jesus and his Mother for the Church and the world today.

Finally, it is my most sincere hope that this negative theological judgement on this one particular alleged message in no way discourages the People of God from granting their faithful and generous “fiat” to the authentic heavenly messages generously granted to contemporary humanity which, for example, at Fatima one hundred and three years ago on this day, granted a supernatural plan and promise of assured victory as a true Marian remedy for our troubled times: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph…and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”21

Dr. Mark Miravalle St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology Franciscan University of Steubenville Professor of Mariology, Ave Maria University President, International Marian Association July 13, 2020

(Permission is granted for the open distribution of this statement)
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Fr. Michel then heard the voice say to him, “Stand,” so he did. “Go to the computer,” so he walked over and sat down at his desk. “Listen and write.” Then God the Father proceeded to dictate the entire constitution for a new religious order. Typing at sixty-three words per minute, he couldn’t keep up. “I cannot follow you!” he complained. “You’re going too fast!” Fr. Michel heard the Father chuckle, and He slowed down for him.

 

Wow, thank you for the post Christy. I suspected something was off, but never imagined that Fr. Michel had these dark encounters with the demonic. It almost reminds me of certain mediums who have similar childhood encounters that opened the portal to spirits that provided them with information throughout their lives. I know Fr. Michel has a large following, and many will be very, very reluctant to believe these concerns about his messages. Satan is the great deceiver. Prayers needed, especially for Fr. Michel.

 

On a related note, my theological comment regarding the book, The Warning: Testimonies and Prophesies of the Illumination of Conscience by Christine Watkins, a more detailed and nuanced statement which did not appear on the cover of the book in its full content or context with which it was originally submitted to the author, called for a serious discernment and wide reading concerning the possibility of an upcoming Illumination of Conscience, which constitutes the major theme of the text. However, my supportive comment regarding the possibility of an upcoming Warning should in no sense be interpreted as a positive theological approval of all of the alleged visionaries cited in this book, which includes those of Fr. Rodrigue.

Did you not read this part of Dr. Miravalle's article?

 

HUH?

Once again......

https://www.queenofthedivinewill.or.../05/Letter-to-the-Diocese-Down-and-Connor.pdf

 

This to me Christy is a recommendation to read the link. Nothing more. However to be more precise, one could say that instead of (recommended by Christy) one could say (link posted by Christy). Either way you brought it to our attention. No one else did, correct?

 

On the Amazon page for The Warning, by Christine Watkins, it has this snippet from the book cover: Dr. Mark Miravalle writes, “THE WARNING should be widely read and discerned seriously with an open mind.” But, it sounds like this was edited in a way that gives the wrong impression, in Miravalle's view.

It will be interesting to see, if any of the "Countdown" authors respond to Mark Miravalle's post. It seems Miravalle wanted it widely/quickly distributed.
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Posted so people could make their own judgment. In response, to a previous post...

 

Sorry, Dr. Miravalle, but you can't have it both ways and then expect your critique to have any kind of absolute accuracy attached to it as well.

IMHO, Dr. M does not have the expertise nor personal experience with his chosen mystic here to even begin this kind of criticism. He uses the safe "top down" type of analysis. And he offers knee jerk responses to partial sourcing. He's unaware of other living experts who also speak to and affirm what he would like the public to dismiss based on a personal opinion other than sourced documentation from others w/ similar assertions that he rejects.

Many of those who step out to "revise" what has actually been offered by a current day mystic need some humility in order to re-assess their claims of personal expertise to do so and admit that in this area they are out of their element.

 

Mark Miravalle (born 1959) is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, specializing in Mariology. He is president of Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, a Catholic movement promoting the concepts of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix.

Mark Miravalle was born in 1959 in San Francisco, where he attended Catholic schools.[1] He made his undergraduate studies in theology as a student in the St. Ignatius Institute (Catholic Great Books program) of the University of San Francisco. Miravalle was married in 1981. He continued his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum in Rome where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and a Doctor of Sacred Theology. In 1984 he and his wife made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. The following year, Miravalle wrote his doctoral dissertation on The message of Medjugorje : a post conciliar formulation of Lourdes and Fatima on the message of the alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje.

As of 2009, Miravalle holds the rank of Professor of Theology at Franciscan University, where he has taught since 1986, and where he has received several teaching awards. His areas of specialization are Mariology and spiritual theology. In 2018, Miravalle was named St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University.[2]

Miravalle is a member of the Mariological Society of America and the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, U.S.A. In the preface to Miravalle's book Introduction Mary Cardinal Edouard Gagnon stated that Mark Miravalle is "internationally renowned for his unquestioned fidelity to the Church's Magisterium and for his outstanding scholarship".[3]

Miravalle is president of Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, a Roman Catholic movement which seeks the solemn papal definition of the Spiritual Maternity of the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God.[4]

Miravalle has given numerous international lectures in Mariology, has addressed several Catholic bishops' conferences, and has served members of the episcopal hierarchy with preliminary investigations for reported apparitions.

Miravalle publishes a bi-monthly Marian e-zine, Mother of All Peoples.

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