David Martin

Pope Consecrates Vatican to St. Michael

"But at that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people... And at that time shall thy people be saved, every one that shall be found written in the book." (Daniel 12:1) It seems a bit too good to be true, but Pope Francis and Benedict XVI have deigned to officially place the Vatican under the special protection of St. Michael the Archangel by consecrating the Holy City to his protection. Following a brief ceremony in the Vatican Gardens on July 5, Francis addressed those present, noting how St. Michael defends the children of God from the wicked one. He said that even if the devil attempts to disfigure the face of mankind, Michael wins, because God Who is stronger acts in him.

The Rock of the Ages

"Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18) The world today is in the throes of the worst spiritual drought of all time, prefigured by the scene in the Old Testament where the people in the desert were fainting away with thirst. We read in Numbers 20: 7-11 how God instructed Moses to tell the people that they would drink water out of the Rock of Horeb, which when he struck it with his rod, the waters gushed out so that the people and their cattle were refreshed and revitalized.

“Francis, Rebuild My Church”

The pontificate of Pope Francis will likely be modeled after St. Francis of Assisi whose humble way of self denial was the foundation of a spiritual renewal that restored peace to the Church in his day. St. Francis is traditionally portrayed with a dove perched on his shoulder, symbolizing the Holy Spirit of peace that rested upon him, though peace today might have some difficulty in finding herself a suitable nest in Rome.

We Pray for Francis

In his first public homily on March 14, 2013, His Holiness Francis cited our calling to walk as disciples of Christ and alluded to the idea that a renewal of the Church will only come about through the cross. He warned that a failure to confess Christ before men would reduce the Church to a "pitiful NGO" that walks no longer with Christ, but according to the world.

Religious Liberty or Progressivist Shackles?

Religious liberty is that special endowment we all have to freely serve God without the interference of tyrannies or world councils that coerce us into adopting anything contrary to Church Tradition. Such was the way of the saints who freely abandoned themselves to God with complete immunity to all things so that they were answerable only to God without respect to persons. (Ephesians 6:6) In so doing they manifested perfect obedience to their superiors and to all the rules and regulations laid down by the Church in keeping with the Lord’s instruction: “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” (John 14:15)

The Cross is our Salvation

THE doctrine of Christ is that we die to the world and join with Him on the cross. This teaching is beautifully expressed by St. Paul where he says, "I am nailed to the cross with Christ." (Galatians 2:19) To endure the suffering of the cross is necessary for salvation as taught by the Savior Himself: "Whosoever does not carry his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Matthew 14:27)

Vatican II Generated the Post-Conciliar Tempest

While the gale force of the post-conciliar revolution continues to uproot the Faith, blow apart revered Catholic practices, topple the Church's edifice, and spread doctrinal debris throughout the Church, there are those in Rome who continue to circumvent the issue by exonerating Vatican II and insisting that we acquire the proper "hermeneutics" to understand its continuity with tradition.

A State Separated From God?

A false notion of Separation of Church and State seems to be lending itself to Washington bureaucrats who are hampering American patriots in their efforts to uphold the Constitutional precepts of life and religious liberty. In one sense, there exists no separation of Church and State, nor is the phrase found anywhere in the Constitution, yet progressives seem to have defined it as a dogma.