Here is a good example of what happens when people are utterly enslaved to their own passions. In this case, the revolution of hedonism brought to our sons and daughters by the US education system and the undying support of those who have hated Jesus from the beginning. I wonder, if one of these people were to see themselves through the eyes of Christ for a mere moment what would happen. Today at Mass I will be thinking of them and offering them up to the Father.
Notice coming a little late...no? Christian persecution 'at near genocide levels' The persecution of Christians in parts of the world is at near "genocide" levels, according to a report ordered by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The review, led by the Bishop of Truro the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, estimated that one in three people suffer from religious persecution. Christians were the most persecuted religious group, it found. Mr Hunt said he felt that "political correctness" had played a part in the issue not being confronted. Alarm over China's Church crackdown Religious persecution 'a threat to everyone' Pope decries killing of Christians The interim report said the main impact of "genocidal acts against Christians is exodus" and that Christianity faced being "wiped out" from parts of the Middle East. It warned the religion "is at risk of disappearing" in some parts of the world, pointing to figures which claimed Christians in Palestine represent less than 1.5% of the population, while in Iraq they had fallen from 1.5 million before 2003 to less than 120,000. "Evidence shows not only the geographic spread of anti-Christian persecution, but also its increasing severity," the Bishop wrote. "In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN." The foreign secretary commissioned the review on Boxing Day 2018 amid an outcry over the treatment of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who faced death threats after being acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan. Sri Lanka attacks: What we know Who are the victims of the Sri Lanka attacks? London hate crime soars since NZ attacks Its findings come after more than 250 people were killed and more than 500 wounded in attacks at hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Mr Hunt, who is on a week-long tour of Africa, said he thought governments had been "asleep" over the persecution of Christians but that this report and the attacks in Sri Lanka had "woken everyone up with an enormous shock". He added: "I think there is a misplaced worry that it is somehow colonialist to talk about a religion that was associated with colonial powers rather than the countries that we marched into as colonisers. 'Atmosphere of political correctness' "That has perhaps created an awkwardness in talking about this issue - the role of missionaries was always a controversial one and that has, I think, also led some people to shy away from this topic. "What we have forgotten in that atmosphere of political correctness is actually the Christians that are being persecuted are some of the poorest people on the planet." In response to the report, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, said Jews had often been the targets of persecution and felt for Christians who were discriminated against on the basis of their faith. "Whether it is in authoritarian regimes, or bigotry masked in the mistaken guise of religion, reports like the one launched today remind us that there are many places in which Christians face appalling levels of violence, abuse and harassment," she said. The review is due to publish its final findings in the summer. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48146305
This is positive news... May 1, 2019 With high levels of prayer, U.S. is an outlier among wealthy nations By Jeff Diamant | https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-ta...ayer-u-s-is-an-outlier-among-wealthy-nations/ This May 2 is the National Day of Prayer in the United States, a day Congress set aside in 1952 for Americans to turn “to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups and as individuals.” But many Americans pray every day – not just on the Day of Prayer. Indeed, out of 102 countries examined for frequency of prayer by Pew Research Center, the U.S. is unique in that it has both a high level of wealth ($56,000 per-capita gross domestic product in 2015) and a high level of daily prayer among its population (55% according to the 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study). In every other wealthy country surveyed – that is, those with a per-capita GDP over $30,000 – fewer than 40% of adults say they pray every day. For example, in Japan, where per-capita GDP is about $38,000, roughly a third (33%) pray daily. In Norway, where per-capita GDP is about $68,000, fewer than one-in-five adults (18%) do. (It’s worth noting that the surveys did not include wealthy countries in the Arabian Peninsula, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which might be expected to have high levels of prayer.) At the other end of the economic spectrum, countries with less wealth tend to have higher rates of prayer. In fact, every country where at least 70% of adults say that they pray each day has a per-capita GDP under $20,000. For example, in Egypt, where 72% say they pray every day, per-capita GDP is about $11,000. And in Afghanistan, where 96% of adults say they pray every day, the per-capita GDP is about $2,000. These findings are broadly aligned with other data that suggest that a country’s level of wealth is inversely proportional to its levels of religious commitment as measured by survey responses about daily prayer, belief in God, attendance at religious services and stated importance of religion in one’s life. In other words, people in poorer countries tend to be more religious than people in wealthier countries. (For more on this, see our 2018 report.) That said, not every country with low wealth has a high level of daily prayer. In Vietnam and Bulgaria – where per-capita GDPs are $6,000 and $19,000, respectively – the shares of adults who say they pray daily are 14% and 15%. (Among all 102 countries examined, the national average share of people who say they pray daily is 49%.) Several regional patterns appear in the data. For example, most of the countries surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa have a per-capita GDP under $10,000 and above-average rates of daily prayer. In the Middle East-North Africa region, nearly all countries we looked at have a per-capita GDP under $20,000 and above-average rates of daily prayer. The exception is Israel, where per-capita GDP is $34,000 and just 27% say they pray every day. Why does the U.S. have higher self-reported daily prayer than other wealthier countries? Some scholars posit that the lack of government interference in religion in the U.S. has created an open religious “market” – a landscape where different religions enthusiastically compete for new members. High levels of prayer also could be due in part to relatively high levels of income inequality in the United States; societies with more unequal income levels tend to be more religious. Topics: Religious Beliefs and PracticesWorld EconomiesNational Economy
Looks like Israel has been under attack from Hamas and is sending ground forces into Gaza. This guy lives in Galilee and has been posting videos on the current situation. Ramada begins this evening.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/I...p-of-US-naval-power-in-the-Middle-East-587765 Is there an unprecedented build-up of US naval power in the Middle East? A massive amount of air power and US naval assets were suddenly in the same place at the same time. By Seth J. Frantzman April 25, 2019 04:36 Two US aircraft carrier strike groups operated in the Mediterranean Sea this week. The USS Abraham Lincoln, on its way toward the Persian Gulf from Palma de Mallorca, crossed paths with the USS John C. Stennis, which had come from the Gulf and had left the Suez Canal for the Mediterranean. A massive amount of air power and US naval assets were suddenly in the same place at the same time. As if that wasn’t enough, the Stennis had just carried out a joint pass exercise with France’s Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Group in the Red Sea. There were other navy ships in the area as well. The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul, the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay, the Royal Danish Navy Frigate HDMS Niels Juel and the French air defense destroyer FS Forbin were in the area, Michael Landmark of Denmark pointed out online. The Defense Post reported the same information, noting that French Rafale aircraft and American F-18s conducted training together. In January, the USS Stennis had already carried out weeks of training with France’s Marine Nationale defense destroyer FS Cassard. The De Gaulle is en route to the Indian Ocean as part of its annual “Clemenceau” mission, having left Toulon in early March. The Stennis left Manama in Bahrain on March 28. The Lincoln had left Norfolk on April 1. The Lincoln is supposed to end up in San Diego when its deployment ends. After the April 15 transit together in the Red Sea, the Stennis moved into the Mediterranean on April 20. For observers of US naval power, the gathering of forces appears important. Lenny Ben-David noted “where are the carriers,” pointing out that their rendezvous coincides with the first F-35 deployment to the UAE. He noted that the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group was in the Gulf at the same time as the Stennis and Lincoln were moving toward one another. It raised interest from Iran-watchers as well. Babak Taghvaee, who tweets often about military issues in the region, noted that the Stennis has 50 F-18s on board. The presence of the carriers and their strike groups have led to two different narratives. The Task & Purpose website asserts that they “send a message to Russia.” Stars and Stripes agreed with that assessment, noting that Naval Forces Europe and Africa commander Adm. James Foggo met US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. The US has said that Russia’s “aggressive actions and interventions in Syria, Libya and elsewhere destabilize these areas,” Stars and Stripes reported. “It’s crucial that we give our civilian leaders options and ability to negotiate from a position of strategic strength,” Foggo said. The presence of the two carrier groups was aimed at Russia, the report concluded. The Washington Examiner, however, thinks that the presence of all these naval assets is a message to Iran. “The Navy’s current posture gives President [Donald] Trump significantly added means of deterrence and actions against Iran,” the newspaper reported on April 22. Tom Rogan, author of the piece, wrote that it wasn’t coincidental. “The US Navy is overstretched, especially in relation to its aircraft carriers and submarines.” Its deployment to the Mediterranean “appears calculated with an anticipated conflict in mind.” The question that the reports raise is whether the current naval power is a message to Iran or Russia, and whether saying so really helps send that message. The presence of these large US strike groups isn’t a secret: there are websites that track them and the US is open about its mission and destination. The USS Stennis even has a Twitter account. One issue the US faces is that despite the “messages” being sent to Iran and Russia, both countries likely know that the US isn’t actually going to use these powerful forces for a first strike. Despite Washington listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the real tensions are in Iraq and Syria. The US has previously noted that any real clash with Iran’s navy in the Persian Gulf would result in the destruction of that navy very quickly. It’s no contest: the US has a massive amount of unmatched firepower that Iran has no interest in challenging. Similarly, the US is not going to do anything about Russia’s annexation of Crimea or Russian actions in Libya and Syria. Sailing carriers around and showing off US military might is good for practice and for working closely with NATO allies, but Moscow and Tehran
This story offers great hope to all of us who wait upon the Holy Spirit for the conversion of their loved ones! They is always hope.
Thank you for posting this wonderful story! I’ve never heard this before! It was so interesting....and believable.
What a awesome response from a mother who witnessed her son being dropped three floors ...not knowing what to do except yell, “just pray”! Looks like that’s what the bystanders were doing. Prayers answered!
We are sending some muscle to the Middle East The U.S. is sending "the USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber task force" to the Middle East in response to "to 'clear indications' Iran and Iranian proxies were planning an attack on U.S. forces in the region," a U.S. official said. A statement from National Security Adviser John Bolton said the deployments were intended "to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force." "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," the statement continued. "It’s something we’ve been working on for a little while," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters traveling with him to Europe. "It is absolutely the case that we have seen escalatory actions from the Iranians, and it is equally the case that we will hold the Iranians accountable for attacks on American interests." https://pjmedia.com/trending/the-mo...t-after-word-spreads-of-possible-iran-attack/
An analysis: Yair Netanyahu: Gaza Proves ‘Land for Peace’ Really Means ‘Land for War’ JERUSALEM — Imagine the southern half of the United States being bombarded by missiles for days at a time. Conceptualize the populations of Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas running into bomb shelters as rocket sirens blare. This is the reality here in Israel as I write these words. For the last three days, more than 600 terror missiles have been indiscriminately fired upon some of Israel’s largest cities. Almost half of Israel’s population is currently inside the line of rocket fire while our capital, Jerusalem, and the economical hub of Tel Aviv could be the next targets. Once the rocket alert system is activated, the people of Israel have only a few seconds to find refuge as Gaza missiles target their cities. The rockets are being launched by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist terror organization that controls the Gaza Strip, and by the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group. Four Israeli civilians were murdered on Sunday (reportedly including an Israeli Arab Bedouin) by the Palestinian missiles. A pregnant Palestinian woman and her 14-month old baby were reportedly killed by a Hamas rocket launched toward Israeli civilians that accidentally fell inside the Gaza Strip. For decades, Israelis have faced rounds of terror like this, occurring at times once in a few years, and more recently, every few months. The Palestinian Islamists in Gaza are routinely committing a double war crime — deliberately aiming their missiles at Israeli civilian targets while hiding behind their own civilians. Many of the Gaza missiles fired toward Israel are launched from mosques, hospital and schools (often UN schools), cynically utilizing the coastal enclave’s population as human shields. Stunningly, the left in Israel, Europe and America often attempts to excuse the terror from Gaza by claiming that the “root cause” of the mayhem is the poverty and despair of the local population. They ignore that the Palestinian population has received billions in economic and humanitarian aid, surpassing even the amount that Japan received to recover after World War II. Look at Japan and look at Gaza. The reason the people of Gaza live in poverty is because their terrorist government utilizes the foreign aid that they receive to build their missile infrastructure and construct terror tunnels with the aim of waging war on the Jewish state. Another claim often propagated by the left is that the terror from Gaza is prompted by the so-called “economic blockade” of the Gaza Strip. This is another myth. There is no such blockade of Gaza. Every day, hundreds of Israeli trucks filled with tons of goods cross the border into Gaza. Israel supplies about two-thirds of Gaza’s electricity as well as its fuel despite those provisions being utilized to power Hamas’s missile factories and terror facilities. Gaza shares a major border with Egypt, a fellow Arab Muslim state, and Israel has no control over that border. The Israel Defense Forces does enforce a naval blockade of Gaza to ensure that weapons are not imported by sea. This started in 2007, when Hamas took control over Gaza. By the way, Gaza in modern times never had any port that could handle cargo ships; goods were always trucked in from Egypt or Israel. If Israel wouldn’t apply this naval blockade, Iran would ship virtually unlimited weapons directly to Gaza, thereby endangering Israel’s existence. How did Israel get into such a crazy situation where half of its population is threatened by missiles? Israel is a tiny country about the size of New Jersey surrounded by an ocean of 22 Arab states and more than 50 Muslim countries. Israel is shown in blue. Mauritania, Sudan and Somalia are somewhat cut off at the edge of the map (Image via Information Regarding Israel’s Security). From the time of its establishment in 1948, Israel faced the constant threat of annihilation. For its first 19 years, Israel was only a strip of coast about 11 miles in width. In 1967, Israel’s neighboring Arab countries launched yet another war to destroy it. Israel defended itself and took control over the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria (also commonly referred to as the West Bank). It’s important to emphasize that Judea and Samaria are a mountain ridge overlooking Tel Aviv about 11 miles to the west and it’s the ancient heartland of the Jewish people since the time of the Bible. Both the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria were intended to be part of the Jewish state in the legally-binding San Remo Resolution of 1920, agreed upon by all the winning powers in the aftermath of WWI. When the modern State of Israel was created in 1948, all neighboring Arab countries invaded it and Jordan took control of Judea and Samaria while Egypt took Gaza. Since the liberation of these two territories in 1967, Jews returned and settled on the sites of ancient Hebrew towns in the area. Until 14 years ago, there were about ten thousand Israelis living in prosperous and beautiful towns inside the Gaza Strip. For decades the left in Israel, Europe and America demanded that Israel apply the formula of “Land for Peace” and give away its crucial strategic and historical lands to the local Arabs who took on the name of “Palestinians.” In 2005, the Israeli government decided to do just that. It announced a plan to expel every single Jew living in the Gaza Strip and pull out the Israeli army. The Israeli left – with the media as their sounding board – infamously promised that Gaza would become “the Singapore of the Middle East” and that on the land of the former Israeli communities will be established peace camps. After all, if we withdraw to the very last inch of Palestinian demands and give them their own state in the whole of the Gaza Strip, why would they continue waging terror against us? The right in Israel warned that the evacuated Gaza Strip will become a launching pad for missiles into Israel and that Gaza will be taken over by Hamas. The left mocked this assumption and reassured the Israeli public that once Israel will be out of the Gaza Strip there will be peace. In August 2005, Israel expelled the Jews of Gaza and even removed every single body from the Jewish cemetery there. The Palestinian Authority received the whole of the Gaza Strip without a single Jewish civilian or soldier inside. Less than two years later, Hamas took control of the Strip and ever since Israel finds itself facing waves of terror and missiles from the territory that was supposed to become peaceful. The Gaza Strip is tiny, flat and about 50 miles away from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Judea and Samaria is much bigger and runs alongside central Israel, directly adjacent to the heart of Jerusalem and a stone’s throw from Tel Aviv. There are more than half a million Jews living in Judea and Samaria, unlike the ten thousand evicted from the Gaza Strip. Much of the international community and the left in Israel, Europe and America demand that Israel do in Judea and Samaria what it did in Gaza in 2005. Such a move will lead to the destruction of Israel. The “Land for Peace” formula leads in reality to “Land for War”. Yair Netanyahu is a conservative political activist and son of the Israeli prime minister. https://www.breitbart.com/middle-ea...ves-land-for-peace-really-means-land-for-war/
Interesting video that makes connections.....obviously to the evil within images of smoke from evil destruction and attempts of control and terroristic influence through such destruction. But I also watched another of his videos but found that he begins with a rather historically prejudicial point of view and fails due to his apparent lack of either knowing or accepting the history that is spelled out in Catholic tradition.....like the red shoes worn by Popes. Rather than connect such symbols with the history of symbol of Christ's blood worn by Popes as a sign of possible martyrdom, remaining in the shoes and cap since the time of the Dominican Pope who wore white/habit, he begins with the imitation symbols of the pagans/satanists where red shoes only mean "power". While there is curious symbology that links to the Satanic that is due as well to the imitative means of operating by the AC which seems already to be fooling those who are not educated in the truth. One can readily see these days just why Satan is called the "Prince of this world"! And why St. Paul says we have to live in this world while not being "of the world" with constant renewal of the mind. and John explains: John 17:14–16 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Because our Catholic faith has such a strong spiritual connection to symbolism, I think it is second nature for us to be acutely aware of it. The images captured during the Notre Dame fire were indeed haunting. Strange that the smoke was mentioned in the video because I had posted something similar about the sinister looking smoke on the holy card depicting the burning Sainte Chapelle .
A sneak peek for us perhaps that the long anticipated peace plan obviously can not entail giving up any ground what so ever to the vile second class citizen there nor can it mean actual citizenship. Poor nation of Israel. It runs what amount to open air prisons that in other nations has been rightly called apartheid and yet it never hesitates to tell the world that it is she who is as always the eternal victim. I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Funny how Trump has said numerous times that he would not make the mistakes that Obama did in allowing the announcing of US force projection.
Big obvious difference. Trump acts w/o revealing strategies while standing with the troops esp when they're threatened. No Benghazi on his watch or....billions handed over to sworn enemies, some in cash, ready to go for the biggest terrorist supporter/Iran. Obama's huge and intentional assistance to the enemy was revealing how many forces, when they would arrive, how long they would stay and most of all he advertised the rules of engagement, putting our troops out as sitting ducks, having their hands tied behind their backs. If any erred in the fog of war he was put on a terrorist list when he returned. Zero was a sick and treacherous individual, dealing only with our sworn enemies. Since Iran is well aware of Trump's actions in Syria all they need to know is that he's willing to do the same closer to their home if they should carry out any threats against our troops. All T has to do is let them know something is on its way!! It was Obama, the person, who was the cowardly oracle, drawing fake red lines.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...warned-white-house-iran-plot-strike-us-troops On Sunday night US national security advisor John Bolton threatened Iran with "unrelenting force" while announcing the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Persian Gulf region, saying further it sends a "clear and unmistakable" message to the Iranian regime. Bolton's statement also cited a "number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Iran, which later on Monday morning CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr described based on unnamed US defense officials as including “specific and credible” Iranian threats against US assets in Syria, Iraq, and at sea. CNN's Starr reported the following: US officials tell me the threats from Iran included “specific and credible” intelligence that Iranian forces and proxies were targeting US forces in Syria, Iraq and at sea. There were multiple threads of intelligence about multiple locations, the officials said. It turns out, perhaps predictably, that the ultimate source of these claims is none other than Israeli intelligence. Axios White House correspondent Barak Ravid reports: Israel passed information on an alleged Iranian plot to attack U.S. interests in the Gulf to the U.S. before national security adviser John Bolton threatened Iran with "unrelenting force" last night, senior Israeli officials told me. This also comes as some high level Israeli defense officials have claimed Iran ordered the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to initiate a conflict in Gaza in order to distract Israel from stopping supposed Iranian expansion inside Syria. Thus it appears an entire US carrier strike group is now responding to what the White House believes is credible intelligence provided by the Israelis. Or, it could simply fit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long stated intent to convince Washington to take preemptive military action against Iran. Remember the "specific incredible intelligence" that Saddam Hussein had WMDs? Yeah, Bolton was involved in that one too... https://t.co/YP5hmC5PZf — Trita Parsi (@tparsi) May 6, 2019 Axios reports the Israeli intelligence is "not very specific at this stage" but that the "intelligence gathered by Israel, primarily by the Mossad intelligence agency, is understood to be part of the reason for Bolton's announcement." The threats against US interests also reportedly include locations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But the most obvious question must be asked: could Tel Aviv be setting up its more powerful ally in a "wag the dog" scenario to initiate war against Israel's archenemy Iran?
