"REFLECT frequently, therefore, that a single aspiration, an ejaculatory prayer, a genuflection, the least mark of respect for the divine majesty, is of greater value than all the treasures of the earth, and that every time a person mortifies his inclinations, the angels present him a crown of glory in recompence for the victory gained over himself. On the contrary, God withdraws his graces by degrees from the slothful who neglect them, and heaps them on the fervent who by their means, as faithful servants, may one day enter into the joy of their Lord, Mat. xxv. 21." --- Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, The Spiritual Combat  

SHERLOCK arrives within minutes at the scene. The ambulances are empty. The bodies, strangely unreal, were never taken to the hospital. He is not permitted to inspect them. "Hmm, Watson. Something is amiss!" A candle-light vigil is already in the works. Piles of teddy bears miraculously appear. Witnesses to grotesque horrors smile and wipe away non-existent tears. The police are strangely unconcerned. The FBI is already involved. Press conferences with top state officials on the scene speak of "community," "fears" and "We will be strong!" The perpetrator has been killed and whisked away. Facts about his life are known without the slightest research needed. Hmmm, something is amiss. Sherlock has never seen so much activity at a murder scene --- and so little evidence of a murder.  

“PRIDE of complacency is commonly called pride of vanity. It is self-love demanding self-esteem or the esteem of others. Yet it is not so much the self-esteem that is sought as it is the craving for the good opinion of others. That is, one suffering from this type of pride is anxious to be well thought of in regard to things spiritual, mental, or physical, so he thinks or speaks or acts vainly. (more…)

THE TALMUD, the sacred text of  Judaism, is comprised of rabbinic commentaries that were written over a period of hundreds of years and contain the oral traditions that have shaped Judaism since shortly after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.

Americans, including many Jews, are generally unfamiliar with the Talmud’s content. While it is widely acceptable to criticize the intolerance of the Quran, the Talmud is off bounds for mainstream commentary. Thus many do not know just how intolerant the revered text of the official religion of the state of Israel is.

Benjamin Freedman was a successful Jewish businessman and Zionist activist who lived from 1890 to 1984. Later in his adult life, he became an outspoken critic of the Judaic mentality and eventually converted to Catholicism. He is said to have devoted much of his fortune to researching and publicizing the history of Judaism.

“The Talmud today virtually exercises totalitarian dictatorship over the lives of so-called or self-styled ‘Jews,’ whether they are aware of that fact or not,” he wrote in his 1954 work “Facts are Facts,” which is an extended letter to another Jewish convert. “Their spiritual leaders make no attempt to conceal the control they exercise over the lives of so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’. They extend their authority far beyond the legitimate limits of spiritual matters. Their authority has no equal outside religion.”

Not only does the Talmud, which includes more than 60 volumes of commentaries, regulate the thinking and daily lives of Jews, he wrote, it inculcates in them hostility toward gentiles, or non-Jews, in general.

Using the translation from the Hebrew by the Latvian priest and eminent scholar, the Rev. I.B. Pranaitis, Master of Theology and Professor of the Hebrew Language at the Imperial Ecclesiastical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church in Old St. Petersburg, Russia, Freedman proved his point by listing summarized Talmudic references for some of the specific laws regarding Christians, and gentiles in general. I list them below. They conform with many other translations of the Talmud. Please feel free to correct any of these summaries if you can prove they are faulty. Again, some of these references refer to all non-Jews, not just Christians. (more…)

"I DON'T care if women’s sports are completely eradicated by men in dresses. Women’s sports were never a benefit to women or society. Physical competitions between women build zero feminine virtues. "It was always just a sign of an unhealthy and decadent society." I completely agree with this short statement found on Gab.  

MY article, nearly ten years old, on Peter Schafer's 2009 book, Jesus in the Talmud, might interest readers.  

“I had hardly begun to take off my stocking when I heard the sound of wind, as in a storm. I turned towards the meadow, and I saw that the trees were not moving at all. I had half-noticed, but without paying any particular heed, that the branches and brambles were waving beside the grotto. I went on taking my stockings off, and was putting one foot into the water, when I heard the same sound in front of me. I looked up and saw a cluster of branches and brambles underneath the topmost opening in the grotto tossing and swaying to and fro, though nothing else stirred all around. Behind these branches and within the opening, I saw immediately afterwards a girl in white, no bigger than myself, who greeted me with a slight bow of the head; at the same time, she stretched out her arms slightly away from her body, opening her hands, as in pictures of Our Lady; over her right arm hung a rosary. I was afraid. I stepped back. I wanted to call the two little girls; I hadn’t the courage to do so. I rubbed my eyes again and again: I thought I must be mistaken. Raising my eyes again, I saw the girl smiling at me most graciously and seeming to invite me to come nearer. But I was still afraid. It was not however a fear such as I have had…

Peccantem me quotidie by Carlo Gesualdo I who sin every day and am not penitent the fear of death troubles me: Responsum For in hell there is no redemption. Have mercy upon me, O God, and save me. Versus God, in your name save me, and in your virtue set me free. Variant 1 I tremble at my misdeeds and blush before you: when you come to judge, condemn me not: have mercy upon me, O God, and save me.  

"HOW to Root out Hidden Faults" by Rev. James F. McElhone (1890-1963) is another great resource for Lent (and the rest of the year). Here he looks at the fault of gluttony --- caring too much about the quality or quantity of what we eat or drink: In our day the tendency is to think and speak much about things to eat and drink. Emphasis is placed on physical fitness. In fact, there are many who practice self-denial for the sake of physical fitness alone. Now there is no doubt that temperance is a help to health; but should not the spiritual idea come first? Temperance is a virtue; to practice it is to gain merit and grace; to practice it is a means of keeping well. Right reason should regulate our lives in regard to eating and drinking. We should think correctly in this matter; our state of mind should be spiritual. We eat to live; we should not live to eat. Excess is to be avoided, so is defect; to be over-fed or under-nourished is harmful and wrong. Prudence is the guide, for what might be too much or too little for one is not excessive or defective for another. Let reason determine the amount to be taken and the manner in which it is taken. [emphasis added]  

THE Seven Penitential Psalms were traditionally prayed every day in Lent. See here.  

THE word "meditation" is tossed around a lot today, but it often refers to empty and harmful practices. The highest form of meditation, the one for which we were all destined, concerns the events of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. Please see my Lenten Reading List for suggestions. If you have a busy life -- there is no crime in having many obligations -- a few minutes a day devoted to this practice can make a huge difference, helping you to grow in wisdom and virtue. From Of Prayer and Meditation by Venerable Louis of Granada: Albertus Magnus saith, That it is more profitable for a man to meditate every day a little upon the holy passion of our Savior Christ, than to fast with bread and water all the Fridays in the year and to discipline and scourge himself until he shed blood, and to say all the whole Psalter from one end thereof to an other. At the least wise this is very certain, that this holy exercise is a passing great help to direct the soul in all virtue, and goodness. For considering that our Savior Christ is (as he himself saith) The way, the truth, and the life, there is none other exercise more fit and convenient to direct us to go unto God, to know God, and to enjoy God, than to fix always our eyes upon our Savior Christ. For though Christ be unto us…

"THESE clips are over 50 years old, yet the talking points are almost identical to those of today. The public's concerns over immigration have never been addressed, not once. The public has never supported immigration." Fascinating comment from one of the men who says people were never "prejudiced," but now they are. Racial harmony is the result of distinct homelands, not artificial and soulless multiculturalism.  

I WENT to a fitness class today where we exercised to "music." The instructor announced she was going to be playing her Valentine's Day playlist. "It's not love songs," she said. "It's songs about relationships." Then she added: "Well, actually it's mostly pi**ed-off women complaining about men." And it was.  

MICHIGAN state senator Josh Shriver has become the villain of the day for his common sense, true statement above. In the clip below, reporters wonder if anything else can be done to penalize him other than stripping him of his staff and slandering him. This is the status of the white man in his own country. To his credit, Shriver has not backed down and has issued this statement:

"HIS only bed must be of stone. Here he is to spend forty days; after which, He will permit the angels to visit Him and bring Him food. "Thus does our Savior go before us on the holy path of Lent. He has borne all its fatigues and hardships, that so we, when called upon to tread the narrow way of our lenten penance, might have His example wherewith to silence the excuses, and sophisms, and repugnances, of self-love and pride." -- Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year  

THE news is 90 percent lies: deliberate mental torture to demoralize and break people down so they can be easily controlled.

And yet, we are told we live in a free society.

Legalman discusses the pervasive lies and brainwashing.

“Being subjected [to a world] where literally nothing makes sense whatever is extremely damaging to everyone’s mental health — and that’s exactly what they want.” (more…)

 "THE worst part of this performance, aside from breaking into laughter while recounting this 'horrific brush with death', was all the religious programming entwined throughout the diatribe. Saying things like 'This is a sign of the end times' and encouraging people to 'Pray' in response to their fake events is straight-up psychological manipulation. The reason why they constantly call for your "Thoughts and Prayers" is because they desire to harness and direct your consciousness, such participation is a form of consent. Your emotional energy is breathing life into their false constructs." [Source]   

NOT ONLY did Christians in the ages of faith observe fasts with much greater intensity during the 40 days of Lent, they also abstained from legal proceedings, hunting and war under edicts of various rulers.

Dom Prosper Guéranger, in his “History of Lent, describes these times of calm and reflection which “ennobled the soul.”

In the 4th century, we have the Emperor Constantine the Great enacting, that no military exercises should be allowed on Sundays and Fridays, out of respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered and rose again on these two days, as also in order not to disturb the peace and repose needed for the due celebration of such sublime mysteries. The discipline of the Latin Church, in the 9th century, enforced everywhere the suspension of war, during the whole of Lent, except in cases of necessity. (more…)