lifesitenews--2020-12-15--‘We are not alone’: A 2020 recap by Archbishop Viganò

December 15 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The following reflection by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò is available in Italian HERE .
NOLITE TIMERE a Meditation in expectation of the birth of the Most Holy Redeemer Sleep , O Celestial Child : The nations do not know Who has been born ; But the day will come When they shall be Your noble heritage ; You who sleep so humbly , You who are hidden in dust : They will know You as King .
In less than two weeks , by the grace of God , this year of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marked by terrible events and great social upheavals , will draw to a close .
Allow me to formulate a brief reflection with which to turn a supernatural gaze both towards the recent past as well as the immediate future .
The months that we leave behind represent one of the darkest moments in the history of humanity : for the first time ever , since the birth of the Savior , the Holy Keys have been used to close churches and restrict the celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments , almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily Sacrifice prophesied by Daniel , which will take place during the reign of the Antichrist .
For the first time ever , at the Easter celebration of the Lord ’ s Resurrection , many of us were forced to assist at Mass and Holy Week services through the internet , depriving us of Holy Communion .
For the first time , we became aware , with pain and dismay , of being deserted by our bishops and parish priests , who were barricaded in their palaces and rectories out of fear of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same number of victims as in other years .
We have seen – so to speak – the generals and officers abandon their army , and in some cases they even joined the enemy ranks , imposing on the Church an unconditional surrender to the absurd reasons for the pseudo-pandemic .
Never , down all the centuries , has so much faint-heartedness , so much cowardice , so much desire to pander to our persecutors found such fertile ground in those who ought to be our guides and leaders .
And what most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this betrayal involved the highest levels of the Hierarchy of the Church much more than the priests and the simple faithful .
Precisely from the highest Throne , from which we should have expected a firm and authoritative intervention in defense of the rights of God , of the freedom of the Church and the salvation of souls , we have received instead invitations to obey unjust laws , illegitimate norms , and irrational orders .
And in the words that the media promptly spread from Santa Marta , we recognized many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insider language of the globalist élite – fraternity , universal income , new world order , build back better , great reset , nothing will be ever be the same again , resilience – all words of the new language , which testify to the idem sentire of those who speak them and those who listen to them .
It was a true act of intimidation , a thinly-veiled threat , with which our Pastors ratified the pandemic alarm , sowed terror among the simple , and abandoned the dying and the needy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legalism , it even reached the point of prohibiting priests from hearing Confessions and administering the Last Sacraments to those were abandoned in intensive care , depriving our beloved dead of religious burial , and denying the Blessed Sacrament to many souls .
And if on the religious side of things we saw ourselves treated as outsiders and barred access to our churches like the Saracens of old – even as the implacable invasion of illegal immigrants continued to replenish the coffers of the self-styled humanitarian associations – on the civil and political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vocation to tyranny : using a rhetoric now disproven by reality , they wanted to make us think of them as representatives of the sovereign people .
By heads of state and prime ministers , by regional governors and local mayors , the fullest rigors of the law were imposed on us as if we were rebellious subjects , suspects to be placed under surveillance even in the privacy of our own homes , criminals to be chased even in the solitude of the woods or along the seashore .
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-riot gear , elderly people fined while they were going to the pharmacy , shopkeepers forced to close their doors , and restaurants that first took costly measures in an effort to comply with the government ’ s demands only to then to be ordered to be closed .
With bewilderment , we have heard scores of self-styled experts – most of whom are lacking any scientific authority whatsoever and largely in grave conflict of interest due to their ties to pharmaceutical companies and supra-national organizations – pontificating on television programs and on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines , immunity , positive tests , the obligation to wear masks , the risks for the elderly , the contagiousness of the asymptomatic , and the danger of seeing one ’ s family .
They have thundered at us , using arcane words like “ social distancing ” and “ gatherings , ” in an endless series of grotesque contradictions , absurd alarms , apocalyptic threats , social precepts and health ceremonies that have replaced religious rites .
And as they have terrorized the population – all while being paid lavishly for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day – our rulers and politicians have flaunted their masks in front of all the television cameras , only to then take them off as soon as possible .
Forced to disguise ourselves as anonymous people without a face , they have imposed a muzzle on us that is absolutely useless for avoiding contagion and actually harmful to our health , but indispensable for their purposes of making us feel subjugated and forced to conform .
They have prevented us from being cured with existing and effective treatments , promoting instead a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligatory even before knowing if it is effective , after only incomplete testing .
And in order not to jeopardize the enormous profits of the pharmaceutical companies , they have granted immunity for the damage that their vaccines may cause to the population .
The vaccine is free , they tell us , but it will actually be paid for with taxpayers ’ money , even if its producers do not guarantee that it will protect from contagion .
In this scenario that is similar to the disastrous effects of a war , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while online commerce companies , home delivery companies , and pornography producers are booming .
The local shops close but the large shopping centers and supermarkets remain open : monuments to the consumerism in which everyone , even those with Covid , continue to fill their carts with foreign products , German cheeses , Moroccan oranges , Canadian flour , and cell phones and televisions made in China .
“ The world is preparing for the Great Reset , ” they tell us obsessively .
“ Nothing will ever be the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to “ living with the virus , ” subjected to a perpetual pandemic that feeds the pharmaceutical Moloch and legitimizes ever more hateful limitations of our fundamental liberties .
Those who since childhood have catechized us to worship freedom , democracy , and popular sovereignty today govern us by depriving us of freedom in the name of health , imposing dictatorship , arrogating to themselves a power that no one has ever conferred on them , neither from above nor from below .
And the temporal power that Freemasonry and the Liberals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today claimed by them in reverse , in an attempt to submit the Church of Christ to the power of the State with the approval and collaboration of the highest levels of the Hierarchy .
Out of this whole humanly discouraging scenario , an unavoidable fact emerges : there is a chasm between those who hold authority and those who are subjected to it , between rulers and citizens , between the Hierarchy and the faithful .
It is an institutional monstrum in which both civil and religious power are almost entirely in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been appointed because of their absolute ineptitude and great vulnerability to blackmail .
Their role is not to administer the institution but to demolish it , not to respect its laws but to violate them , not to protect its members but to disperse and distance them .
In short , we find ourselves facing the perversion of authority , not due to chance or inexperience but pursued with determination and following a pre-established plan : a single script under a single direction .
We thus have rulers who persecute their citizens and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and financing the invasion of criminals and illegal immigrants ; law enforcement officers and judges who arrest and fine those who violate social-distancing rules , even as they ostentatiously ignore criminals , rapists , assassins and treacherous politicians ; teachers who do not transmit culture or the love of knowledge but instead indoctrinate students into gender and globalist ideology ; doctors who refuse to treat the sick but impose a genetically-modified vaccine whose efficacy and potential side-effects are unknown ; bishops and priests who deny the faithful the Sacraments but who never miss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adherence to the globalist agenda in the name of Masonic Brotherhood .
Those who oppose this overturning of every principle of civil life find themselves abandoned , alone , and without a leader who would unite them .
Loneliness , in fact , allows our common enemies – as they have amply demonstrated themselves to be – to instill fear , despair , and the feeling of not being able to stand together to resist the assaults to which we have been subjected .
Citizens are alone in the face of the abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone in the face of the arrogance of heretical Prelates given over to vice , and those who wish to dissent , raise their voice , or protest within institutions are likewise alone .
Loneliness and fear increase when we give them ground to stand on , but they vanish if we think of how each one of us merited that the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity became incarnate in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary : qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which we are preparing to contemplate in these coming days : the Immaculate Conception and the Lord ’ s Holy Nativity .
From these mysteries , dear friends , we can draw renewed hope with which to face the events that await us .
Above all , we must remember that none of us is ever truly alone : we have the Lord at our side .
He always wants our good , and so he never fails to send us His help and His grace , if only we ask for it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blessed Virgin at our side , our loving Mother and our secure refuge .
We have near us the hosts of Angels and the multitude of Saints who from the glory of Heaven intercede for us before the Throne of the Divine Majesty .
The contemplation of this sublime community that is the Holy Church , the mystical Jerusalem that we are citizens of and living members , should persuade us that the last thing we ought to fear is being alone , and that there is no reason to be afraid , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us believe that there is .
True loneliness is in Hell , where the damned souls do not have any hope : that is the loneliness we should truly fear , and before it we must beg for the grace of final perseverance , that is , to be able to merit the grace of a holy death from the Mercy of God .
A death for which we ought to always be prepared by keeping ourselves in a state of grace , in friendship with the Lord .
Of course , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment are tremendous , because they give us the feeling that evil is triumphing , that each of us is abandoned to ourselves , that the wicked have managed to get the better of the pusillus grex [ little flock ] and of all humanity .
But was not our Lord perhaps alone in Gethsemane , alone on the wood of the Cross , alone in the Tomb ?
And returning to the mystery of Christmas that is now fast approaching : were not the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph perhaps alone when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a stable because non erat locus illis in diversorio [ there was no room for them in the inn ] ?
Imagine how the putative father of Jesus must have felt seeing his Most Holy Spouse ready to give birth in the cold of the night of Palestine ; think of their worries during the Flight into Egypt , knowing that King Herod had unleashed his soldiers to kill the Infant Jesus .
Even in these terrible situations , the solitude of the Holy Family was only apparent , while God arranged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent an Angel to announce the birth of the Savior to the shepherds .
He moved no less than a Star to call the Magi from the Orient to adore the Messiah .
He sent choirs of His Angels to sing over the cave of Bethlehem .
He warned Saint Joseph to flee in order to escape the massacre of Herod .
Also to us , in the solitude of the lockdown which many of us are forced to endure , in the abandonment of the hospital , in the silence of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worship , the Lord comes to bring his company .
Also to us He sends His Angel to inspire us with holy purposes , his Most Holy Mother to console us , the Paraclete to give us comfort , dulcis hospes animae .
We are not alone : we are never alone .
And it is this , in the end , that the authors of the Great Reset fear most : that we become aware of this supernatural – but no less true – reality that makes the house of cards of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think of how we have at our side She who crushes the head of the Serpent , or the Archangel who has drawn his sword to drive Lucifer into the abyss ; if we recall that our Guardian Angel , our Patron Saint , and our dear ones in Heaven and Purgatory are with us : what can we ever be afraid of ?
Do we want to believe that the God of armies drawn up for battle has any hesitation about defeating any servant of the eternally defeated one ?
She who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ siege , terrorizing the Avars and Persians by appearing tremendous in the heavens ; who in 1091 at Scicli in Sicily was invoked as Our Lady of the Militia and appeared on a shining cloud chasing away the Saracens ; who in 1571 at Lepanto and again in 1683 at Vienna was invoked as Queen of Victories and granted victory to the Christian army against the Turks ; who during the anti-Catholic persecution of Mexico protected the Cristeros and repelled the army of the Mason Elias Calles – She will not deny us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave us alone in the battle ; She will not abandon those who have recourse to Her with trusting prayer in the moment in which the conflict is decisive and the confrontation is nearing an end .
We have had the grace to understand what this world can become if we deny the Lordship of God and replace it with the tyranny of Satan .
This is the world that is rebellious against Christ the King and Mary the Queen , in which each day thousands of innocent lives in the wombs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is the world in which vice and sin want to cancel every trace of good and virtue , every memory of the Christian religion , every law and vestige of our civilization , every trace of the order that the Creator has given to nature .
A world in which churches burn , Crosses are knocked down , statues of the Virgin are decapitated : this hatred , this Satanic fury against Christ and the Mother of God is the mark of the Evil One and his servants .
In the face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New World Order that would prepare the way for the kingdom of the Antichrist , we can not still believe that any brotherhood is possible if not under the Law of God , nor that it is possible to construct peace if not under the mantle of the Queen of Peace .
Pax Christi in regno Christi .
The Lord will give us the victory only when we bow down to Him as our King .
And if we can not yet proclaim Him as King of our Nations because of the impiety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can nevertheless consecrate ourselves , our families , and our communities to Him .
And to those who dare to challenge Heaven in the name of “ Nothing will be the same again , ” we respond by invoking God with renewed fervor : “ As it was in beginning , is now and ever shall be , world without end.
” Let us pray to the Immaculate Virgin , Tabernacle of the Most High , asking that in our meditation on the Holy Nativity of Her Divine Son which now draws near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solitude , gathering us together in adoration around the manger .
In the poverty of the crib , in the silence of the cave of Bethlehem , the song of the Angels resounds ; the one true Light of the world shines forth , adored by the shepherds and the Magi , and Creation itself bows down , adorning the vault of heaven with a shining Star .
Veni , Emmanuel : captivum solve Israël .
Come , O Emmanuel , free your imprisoned people .

The months that we leave behind represent one of the darkest moments in the history of humanity: for the first time ever, since the birth of the Savior, the Holy Keys have been used to close churches and restrict the celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments, almost in anticipation of the abolition of the daily Sacrifice prophesied by Daniel, which will take place during the reign of the Antichrist.
December 15, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The following reflection by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò is available in Italian HERE.
NOLITE TIMERE
a Meditation in expectation of the birth of the Most Holy Redeemer
Sleep, O Celestial Child:
The nations do not know
Who has been born;
But the day will come
When they shall be
Your noble heritage;
You who sleep so humbly,
You who are hidden in dust:
They will know You as King.
Manzoni, Il Natale
In less than two weeks, by the grace of God, this year of Our Lord 2020, which has been marked by terrible events and great social upheavals, will draw to a close. Allow me to formulate a brief reflection with which to turn a supernatural gaze both towards the recent past as well as the immediate future.
The months that we leave behind represent one of the darkest moments in the history of humanity: for the first time ever, since the birth of the Savior, the Holy Keys have been used to close churches and restrict the celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments, almost in anticipation of the abolition of the daily Sacrifice prophesied by Daniel, which will take place during the reign of the Antichrist. For the first time ever, at the Easter celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection, many of us were forced to assist at Mass and Holy Week services through the internet, depriving us of Holy Communion. For the first time, we became aware, with pain and dismay, of being deserted by our bishops and parish priests, who were barricaded in their palaces and rectories out of fear of a seasonal flu that claimed about the same number of victims as in other years.
We have seen – so to speak – the generals and officers abandon their army, and in some cases they even joined the enemy ranks, imposing on the Church an unconditional surrender to the absurd reasons for the pseudo-pandemic. Never, down all the centuries, has so much faint-heartedness, so much cowardice, so much desire to pander to our persecutors found such fertile ground in those who ought to be our guides and leaders. And what most scandalized many of us was the realization that this betrayal involved the highest levels of the Hierarchy of the Church much more than the priests and the simple faithful. Precisely from the highest Throne, from which we should have expected a firm and authoritative intervention in defense of the rights of God, of the freedom of the Church and the salvation of souls, we have received instead invitations to obey unjust laws, illegitimate norms, and irrational orders. And in the words that the media promptly spread from Santa Marta, we recognized many, too many, nods to the insider language of the globalist élite – fraternity, universal income, new world order, build back better, great reset, nothing will be ever be the same again, resilience – all words of the new language, which testify to the idem sentire of those who speak them and those who listen to them.
It was a true act of intimidation, a thinly-veiled threat, with which our Pastors ratified the pandemic alarm, sowed terror among the simple, and abandoned the dying and the needy. In the height of a cynical legalism, it even reached the point of prohibiting priests from hearing Confessions and administering the Last Sacraments to those were abandoned in intensive care, depriving our beloved dead of religious burial, and denying the Blessed Sacrament to many souls.
And if on the religious side of things we saw ourselves treated as outsiders and barred access to our churches like the Saracens of old – even as the implacable invasion of illegal immigrants continued to replenish the coffers of the self-styled humanitarian associations – on the civil and political side we discovered that our rulers had a vocation to tyranny: using a rhetoric now disproven by reality, they wanted to make us think of them as representatives of the sovereign people. By heads of state and prime ministers, by regional governors and local mayors, the fullest rigors of the law were imposed on us as if we were rebellious subjects, suspects to be placed under surveillance even in the privacy of our own homes, criminals to be chased even in the solitude of the woods or along the seashore. We have seen people forcibly dragged by soldiers in anti-riot gear, elderly people fined while they were going to the pharmacy, shopkeepers forced to close their doors, and restaurants that first took costly measures in an effort to comply with the government’s demands only to then to be ordered to be closed.
With bewilderment, we have heard scores of self-styled experts – most of whom are lacking any scientific authority whatsoever and largely in grave conflict of interest due to their ties to pharmaceutical companies and supra-national organizations – pontificating on television programs and on the pages of newspapers about infections, vaccines, immunity, positive tests, the obligation to wear masks, the risks for the elderly, the contagiousness of the asymptomatic, and the danger of seeing one’s family. They have thundered at us, using arcane words like “social distancing” and “gatherings,” in an endless series of grotesque contradictions, absurd alarms, apocalyptic threats, social precepts and health ceremonies that have replaced religious rites. And as they have terrorized the population – all while being paid lavishly for their pronouncements made at every hour of the day – our rulers and politicians have flaunted their masks in front of all the television cameras, only to then take them off as soon as possible.
Forced to disguise ourselves as anonymous people without a face, they have imposed a muzzle on us that is absolutely useless for avoiding contagion and actually harmful to our health, but indispensable for their purposes of making us feel subjugated and forced to conform. They have prevented us from being cured with existing and effective treatments, promoting instead a vaccine that they now want to make obligatory even before knowing if it is effective, after only incomplete testing. And in order not to jeopardize the enormous profits of the pharmaceutical companies, they have granted immunity for the damage that their vaccines may cause to the population. The vaccine is free, they tell us, but it will actually be paid for with taxpayers’ money, even if its producers do not guarantee that it will protect from contagion.
In this scenario that is similar to the disastrous effects of a war, the economy of our countries lies prostrate, while online commerce companies, home delivery companies, and pornography producers are booming. The local shops close but the large shopping centers and supermarkets remain open: monuments to the consumerism in which everyone, even those with Covid, continue to fill their carts with foreign products, German cheeses, Moroccan oranges, Canadian flour, and cell phones and televisions made in China.
“The world is preparing for the Great Reset,” they tell us obsessively. “Nothing will ever be the same again.” We will have to get used to “living with the virus,” subjected to a perpetual pandemic that feeds the pharmaceutical Moloch and legitimizes ever more hateful limitations of our fundamental liberties. Those who since childhood have catechized us to worship freedom, democracy, and popular sovereignty today govern us by depriving us of freedom in the name of health, imposing dictatorship, arrogating to themselves a power that no one has ever conferred on them, neither from above nor from below. And the temporal power that Freemasonry and the Liberals ferociously opposed in the Roman Pontiffs is today claimed by them in reverse, in an attempt to submit the Church of Christ to the power of the State with the approval and collaboration of the highest levels of the Hierarchy.
Out of this whole humanly discouraging scenario, an unavoidable fact emerges: there is a chasm between those who hold authority and those who are subjected to it, between rulers and citizens, between the Hierarchy and the faithful. It is an institutional monstrum in which both civil and religious power are almost entirely in the hands of unscrupulous people who have been appointed because of their absolute ineptitude and great vulnerability to blackmail. Their role is not to administer the institution but to demolish it, not to respect its laws but to violate them, not to protect its members but to disperse and distance them. In short, we find ourselves facing the perversion of authority, not due to chance or inexperience but pursued with determination and following a pre-established plan: a single script under a single direction.
We thus have rulers who persecute their citizens and treat them as enemies, while welcoming and financing the invasion of criminals and illegal immigrants; law enforcement officers and judges who arrest and fine those who violate social-distancing rules, even as they ostentatiously ignore criminals, rapists, assassins and treacherous politicians; teachers who do not transmit culture or the love of knowledge but instead indoctrinate students into gender and globalist ideology; doctors who refuse to treat the sick but impose a genetically-modified vaccine whose efficacy and potential side-effects are unknown; bishops and priests who deny the faithful the Sacraments but who never miss an occasion for propagandizing their own unconditional adherence to the globalist agenda in the name of Masonic Brotherhood.
Those who oppose this overturning of every principle of civil life find themselves abandoned, alone, and without a leader who would unite them. Loneliness, in fact, allows our common enemies – as they have amply demonstrated themselves to be – to instill fear, despair, and the feeling of not being able to stand together to resist the assaults to which we have been subjected. Citizens are alone in the face of the abuse of civil power, the faithful are alone in the face of the arrogance of heretical Prelates given over to vice, and those who wish to dissent, raise their voice, or protest within institutions are likewise alone.
Loneliness and fear increase when we give them ground to stand on, but they vanish if we think of how each one of us merited that the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity became incarnate in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary: qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. And here we come to the Mysteries which we are preparing to contemplate in these coming days: the Immaculate Conception and the Lord’s Holy Nativity. From these mysteries, dear friends, we can draw renewed hope with which to face the events that await us.
Above all, we must remember that none of us is ever truly alone: we have the Lord at our side. He always wants our good, and so he never fails to send us His help and His grace, if only we ask for it with faith. We have the Most Blessed Virgin at our side, our loving Mother and our secure refuge. We have near us the hosts of Angels and the multitude of Saints who from the glory of Heaven intercede for us before the Throne of the Divine Majesty.
The contemplation of this sublime community that is the Holy Church, the mystical Jerusalem that we are citizens of and living members, should persuade us that the last thing we ought to fear is being alone, and that there is no reason to be afraid, even if the devil rages to make us believe that there is. True loneliness is in Hell, where the damned souls do not have any hope: that is the loneliness we should truly fear, and before it we must beg for the grace of final perseverance, that is, to be able to merit the grace of a holy death from the Mercy of God. A death for which we ought to always be prepared by keeping ourselves in a state of grace, in friendship with the Lord.
Of course, the trials that we are facing in this moment are tremendous, because they give us the feeling that evil is triumphing, that each of us is abandoned to ourselves, that the wicked have managed to get the better of the pusillus grex [little flock] and of all humanity. But was not our Lord perhaps alone in Gethsemane, alone on the wood of the Cross, alone in the Tomb? And returning to the mystery of Christmas that is now fast approaching: were not the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph perhaps alone when they found themselves forced to take refuge in a stable because non erat locus illis in diversorio [there was no room for them in the inn]? Imagine how the putative father of Jesus must have felt seeing his Most Holy Spouse ready to give birth in the cold of the night of Palestine; think of their worries during the Flight into Egypt, knowing that King Herod had unleashed his soldiers to kill the Infant Jesus. Even in these terrible situations, the solitude of the Holy Family was only apparent, while God arranged everything according to His plans. He sent an Angel to announce the birth of the Savior to the shepherds.
He moved no less than a Star to call the Magi from the Orient to adore the Messiah. He sent choirs of His Angels to sing over the cave of Bethlehem. He warned Saint Joseph to flee in order to escape the massacre of Herod.
Also to us, in the solitude of the lockdown which many of us are forced to endure, in the abandonment of the hospital, in the silence of the deserted streets and the churches closed to worship, the Lord comes to bring his company. Also to us He sends His Angel to inspire us with holy purposes, his Most Holy Mother to console us, the Paraclete to give us comfort, dulcis hospes animae.
We are not alone: we are never alone. And it is this, in the end, that the authors of the Great Reset fear most: that we become aware of this supernatural – but no less true – reality that makes the house of cards of their infernal deceptions collapse.
If we think of how we have at our side She who crushes the head of the Serpent, or the Archangel who has drawn his sword to drive Lucifer into the abyss; if we recall that our Guardian Angel, our Patron Saint, and our dear ones in Heaven and Purgatory are with us: what can we ever be afraid of? Do we want to believe that the God of armies drawn up for battle has any hesitation about defeating any servant of the eternally defeated one?
She who in the year 630 saved Constantinople from siege, terrorizing the Avars and Persians by appearing tremendous in the heavens; who in 1091 at Scicli in Sicily was invoked as Our Lady of the Militia and appeared on a shining cloud chasing away the Saracens; who in 1571 at Lepanto and again in 1683 at Vienna was invoked as Queen of Victories and granted victory to the Christian army against the Turks; who during the anti-Catholic persecution of Mexico protected the Cristeros and repelled the army of the Mason Elias Calles – She will not deny us Her holy assistance; She will not leave us alone in the battle; She will not abandon those who have recourse to Her with trusting prayer in the moment in which the conflict is decisive and the confrontation is nearing an end.
We have had the grace to understand what this world can become if we deny the Lordship of God and replace it with the tyranny of Satan. This is the world that is rebellious against Christ the King and Mary the Queen, in which each day thousands of innocent lives in the wombs of their mothers are sacrificed to Satan; this is the world in which vice and sin want to cancel every trace of good and virtue, every memory of the Christian religion, every law and vestige of our civilization, every trace of the order that the Creator has given to nature. A world in which churches burn, Crosses are knocked down, statues of the Virgin are decapitated: this hatred, this Satanic fury against Christ and the Mother of God is the mark of the Evil One and his servants. In the face of this total Revolution, this accursed New World Order that would prepare the way for the kingdom of the Antichrist, we cannot still believe that any brotherhood is possible if not under the Law of God, nor that it is possible to construct peace if not under the mantle of the Queen of Peace. Pax Christi in regno Christi.
The Lord will give us the victory only when we bow down to Him as our King. And if we cannot yet proclaim Him as King of our Nations because of the impiety of those who govern us, we can nevertheless consecrate ourselves, our families, and our communities to Him. And to those who dare to challenge Heaven in the name of “Nothing will be the same again,” we respond by invoking God with renewed fervor: “As it was in beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.”
Let us pray to the Immaculate Virgin, Tabernacle of the Most High, asking that in our meditation on the Holy Nativity of Her Divine Son which now draws near, She may dispel our fear and solitude, gathering us together in adoration around the manger. In the poverty of the crib, in the silence of the cave of Bethlehem, the song of the Angels resounds; the one true Light of the world shines forth, adored by the shepherds and the Magi, and Creation itself bows down, adorning the vault of heaven with a shining Star. Veni, Emmanuel: captivum solve Israël. Come, O Emmanuel, free your imprisoned people.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
13 December 2020
Dominica Gaudete, III Adventus
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lifesitenews--2020-12-16--Faithful clergy who preach against abortion, moral issues are being ‘sidelined’

December 15 , 2020 ( ) — In this week ’ s episode of The Bishop Strickland Show , the bishop of Tyler , Texas discusses how many good , faithful priests have been targeted for daring to teach and preach the Church ’ s stance on moral issues .
Bishop Strickland weighs in on how many faithful priests , including one he had met with personally , are being shunned and many times targeted for preaching specifically on the Church ’ s teachings on abortion , contraception , and other issues of morality .
His Excellency talks about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and fundamentals are a challenge for all to grasp .
However , he says that “ to water it down and to punish your priest who is n't willing to water it down ... is a sad commentary on where the church is.
” Strickland adds how pastors and shepherds of the Church are being “ sidelined because they ’ re teaching the truth.
” He also mentions that Canon 1375 of the Catholic Church “ reminds us that it is a crime to impede someone from exercising ecclesiastical ministry.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that the recently released McCarrick Report did not “ really call us to … be pastors and to acknowledge the ways that we have sinned … and the ways that we need to be reformed.
” Watch The Bishop Strickland Show , co-hosted by Terry Barber of Virgin Most Powerful Radio , which airs every Tuesday at 9 P.M. EST on LifeSite ’ s YouTube channel .
Click here to watch all past episodes .

Punishing a priest who isn't willing to water down Church doctrine 'is a sad commentary on where the church is,' Bishop Joseph Strickland said.
December 15, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — In this week’s episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, the bishop of Tyler, Texas discusses how many good, faithful priests have been targeted for daring to teach and preach the Church’s stance on moral issues.
Bishop Strickland weighs in on how many faithful priests, including one he had met with personally, are being shunned and many times targeted for preaching specifically on the Church’s teachings on abortion, contraception, and other issues of morality.
His Excellency talks about how the Church’s teachings, truths, and fundamentals are a challenge for all to grasp. However, he says that “to water it down and to punish your priest who isn't willing to water it down … is a sad commentary on where the church is.”
Strickland adds how pastors and shepherds of the Church are being “sidelined because they’re teaching the truth.” He also mentions that Canon 1375 of the Catholic Church “reminds us that it is a crime to impede someone from exercising ecclesiastical ministry.”
In the beginning of the show, Strickland noted that the recently released McCarrick Report did not “really call us to … be pastors and to acknowledge the ways that we have sinned … and the ways that we need to be reformed.”
Watch The Bishop Strickland Show, co-hosted by Terry Barber of Virgin Most Powerful Radio, which airs every Tuesday at 9 P.M. EST on LifeSite’s YouTube channel. Click here to watch all past episodes.
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lifesitenews--2020-12-16--Pope claims he speaks out often against abortion, his actions suggest otherwise

VATICAN CITY , December 15 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – In a recent letter to some former pupils in Argentina , Pope Francis mentioned that he does “ nothing other ” than let the world know his thoughts on abortion , despite his confusing public statements on the subject and support for pro-abortion politicians and public figures .
Sent December 1 , the letter touched on the subject of abortion , before it was about to be debated in the Argentine Congress .
After he wrote the letter , the lower house of the Argentine to legalize abortion through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate to approve or reject the measure .
Remarking on questions posed about the Pope , Francis said , “ I am amused when someone says , ‘ Why doesn ’ t the pope let Argentina know about his opinion on abortion ?
’ Because I do nothing other than let the whole world ( including Argentina ) know about it now that I am pope.
” The Pope continued by making reference to media portrayals of him , objecting to inaccurate presentations and commenting that “ what is known there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they say that I say.
” Based on the Pope 's text , he presents two objects that annoy him : namely that , Francis says he is always talking about abortion yet people don ’ t hear it , and , secondly , that he is inaccurately portrayed by the media .
However , Pope Francis ’ track record is confusingly mixed when it comes to abortion .
He has previously presented some Catholic teaching regarding the immorality of abortion , albeit not always firmly or extensively .
Yet , speaking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then-international director for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and now director of Voice of the Family , advised caution about such comments : “ There has been a consistent pattern of strongly pro-life statements proceeding very troubling betrayals of the faith.
” At the same time , already in the first year of the Pope 's pontificate , he gave an interview in which he said abortion was talked about too much in the Church .
“ We can not insist only on issues related to abortion , gay marriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is not possible , ” he said .
“ I have not spoken much about these things , and I was reprimanded for that.
” The Pope continued , “ The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent .
The church ’ s pastoral ministry can not be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.
” In remarks made earlier this year , pro LGBT activist priest Father James Martin , S.J.
, said the Pope wants people to “ move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Describing the Pope ’ s comments , Martin said , “ It ’ s not that it ’ s not important , but ( Francis ) said , ‘ It ’ s time to look at other issues.
’ He said , ‘ It ’ s like a teacher .
Once they ’ ve covered that part of the course , it ’ s time to move on.
’ Right ?
” Then in a 2016 in-flight interview , the Pope attacked large Catholic families , saying “ God gives you methods to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excuse me if I use that word , that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits .
No .
Responsible parenthood !
” That same year , the Pope abolished the pro-life declaration that had previously been a requirement for members of the Pontifical Academy for Life and subsequently appointed members to the academy who supported abortion .
Despite complaining about the media misrepresenting him , the Pope ’ s own actions seem to present a different stance on abortion than the one he claims to hold in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly praised and later privately met the former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs , a leading abortion activist .
Most publicly , the Pope has sided with the United Nations ( UN ) and its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , which is heavily pro-abortion .
He expressed support for the U.N ’ s Goals , despite them calling for “ universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services , including for family planning , information and education , and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations at the U.N. have campaigned against the goals for years .
In fact , the pontiff called for a “ special legally constituted authority ” in order to implement the “ supranational ” U.N .
Goals .
He has repeatedly aligned himself with those goals , particularly in the area of climate change .
Days ago , on December 8 , Francis joined forces with global capitalists in a venture called “ Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican ” in order to promote a new “ economic system ” of capitalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Development Goals .
Not only this , but shortly after the media pre-emptively called the still-undecided U.S. presidential election in favor of Joe Biden , the Pope called the pro-abortion candidate , “ extending blessings and congratulations ” to Biden .
The Biden-Harris transition website reported that Biden expressed his desire to the Pope “ to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor , addressing the crisis of climate change , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities.
” Biden has been very open about his support for abortion as well as LGBT ideology .
He recently called abortion an “ essential health service ” that he wishes to enshrine abortion into federal law .
Notwithstanding this , according to Biden , Francis has given him Holy Communion .
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PETITION UPDATE (3/15/21) -
Reports suggest that the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference (USCCB) is preparing a vote on what to do about pro-abortion Joe Biden (and, presumably, other abortion-promoting politicians) who continues to present himself (themselves) for Holy Communion.
Public excommunication would be a suitable response for Biden's obstinate, public and grave sin of scandalously promoting abortion.
Please continue to SIGN and SHARE this important petition.
__________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (2/4/20)
Since Joe Biden was sworn-in on the 20th of January, he has wasted no time in signing Executive Orders to destroy the protections which former President Trump offered to the unborn and to the innocence and modesty of children of the United States.
In one executive order, Biden rescinded the Mexico City Policy prohibiting the federal government from spending taxpayer monies on abortion and the promotion of abortion.
And, in another executive order, Biden seeks to force girls' athletic programs, restrooms, and locker rooms to accept gender-confused males.
Since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was shamefully silent throughout the presidential campaign on the pre-eminent issues of abortion and gender ideology, and what Biden vowed he would do as president, it is cold comfort that their pro-life office is now speaking up about this Administration's wilful disregard for human life and for God's design of human nature (i.e., two biological sexes).
Stated plainly, Joe Biden is as bad as he said he would be, and the bishop, acting in unison (as the USCCB) have an obligation to the Lord (first) and to the faithful (second) to refuse Holy Communion to this grave public sinner.
With all due respect to these bishops, they diminish the Holy Eucharist and their high office, as well as cause grave scandal to the faithful, by dialoguing with a man who is promoting mass murder of the unborn against the constant teaching of the Church.
A man who continues to use the church as a backdrop for statements about how "Catholic/religious" he is, but, at the same time, is now doing everything in his power to protect the murder of the innocent, needs to publicly repent before dialogue can begin.
The bishops should not dialogue with or congratulate someone who has publicly betrayed the Church's teaching and who is leading others astray.
It's an embarrassment and a scandal for the bishops to continue to allow him to receive Holy Communion.
Please SIGN and SHARE this petition today!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (12/10/20)
Prior to the election on November 3, the U.S. bishops did not address Joe Biden’s anti-Catholic position regarding faith and morals as a unified body.
The USCCB, the organization to which every U.S. bishop belongs and which is staffed and led by bishops, remained disgracefully silent in the run-up to the election.
What were the bishops afraid of, losing their charitable tax status with the IRS, or being deprived of fat checks from the HHS (immigration programs) and USAID (foreign aid programs)?
Or, were they just too cowardly to clearly declare Christ's law to be above man's law and risk the ire of a Joe Biden as president?
Either way, the bishops’ lack of clarity in this regard is a terrible scandal in itself and probably greatly contributed to the possible election of a pro-abortion, anti-Catholic Catholic to the presidency.
Given the fact that exit polling shows Catholics split their vote 50-50 for Trump and Biden, even a slight deviation in the heavily-Catholic swing-states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania could have produced different results.
The bishops could have spoken out against Biden’s pro-abortion stance collectively, but, again, they were overwhelmingly and shamefully silent.
Because of this, they will be at least partly responsible for the policies advanced by a Biden administration, in the event that Biden is sworn into office.
However, the bishops can, even now, mitigate the damage done by their inaction by taking the following steps: 1) Speak with one voice, as the USCCB, and plainly condemn Biden's pro-abortion stance; 2) Publicly advise Biden not to present himself for Holy Communion because of his scandalous position on abortion and homosexual "marriage;" and, 3) Tell Biden to publicly repent of publicly promoting the wilfull murder of the preborn, sins against nature, and diminishing the natural family.
Thankfully, some individual bishops have spoken out forcefully on Biden's scandalous behavior, and his standing in the Church.
On November 9, Archbishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas tweeted: “A dark cloud has descended on this nation when the USCCB and Planned Parenthood speak in unison in support of a Biden-Harris administration that supports the slaughter of innocents by abortion for all 9 months of pregnancy.”
Additionally, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, Colorado and Archbishop Charles Chaput have both declared publicly that Joe Biden “should not receive Holy Communion."
But, to add insult to injury, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C. has said that he will give Holy Communion to Biden because “it’s a matter of the responsibility that I have as the archbishop to be engaged and to be in dialogue with him, even in those areas where we obviously have some differences.”
And, Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Delaware and Bishop McElroy of San Diego also congratulated Biden in statements, but they have not indicated whether or not they would administer Holy Communion to him.
With all due respect to these bishops, they diminish the Holy Eucharist and their high office, as well as cause grave scandal to the faithful, by dialoguing with a man who is promoting mass murder of the unborn against the constant teaching of the Church.
A man who uses the church as a backdrop to make sickening political advertisements about how "Catholic/religious" he is, but, at the same time, says that he will do everything in his power to protect the murder of the innocent, needs to publicly repent before dialogue can begin.
The bishops should not dialogue with or congratulate someone who has publicly betrayed the Church's teaching and who is leading others astray.
It's an embarrassment and a scandal for the bishops to continue to allow him to receive Holy Communion.
Please SIGN and SHARE this petition today!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishops-concerned-about-pro-abortion-biden-previously-hailed-him-as-second-catholic-president
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abp-aquila-backs-call-for-pro-abortion-catholic-joe-biden-to-be-denied-holy-communion?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/former-philly-archbishop-biden-not-in-full-communion-with-the-catholic-church
https://www.thesoutherncross.org/news/bishop-mcelroy-offers-prayers-and-congratulations-to-president-elect-biden/
https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/us-catholics-weigh-mixed-reaction-biden-win
____________________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (9/29/20)
Cardinal Raymond Burke has stated that Democratic candidate Joe Biden should not receive Holy Communion because of his support for abortion.
In an interview for Thomas McKenna's Catholic Action for Faith and Family podcast, Cardinal Burke states the following (starting around 5:00):
First of all, I would tell him [Biden] not to approach to receive Holy Communion, out of charity toward him, because that would be a sacrilege and endanger the salvation of his own soul.
But, also, he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone, because if someone says, 'I'm a devout Catholic," and, at the same time is promoting abortion, it gives the impression to others that it's acceptable for a Catholic to be in favor of abortion.
Of course, it's absolutely not acceptable, and never has been, and never will be.
We give thanks for Cardinal Burke's frankness and clarity. And, we call on every U.S. Catholic bishop to follow Cardinal Burke's lead and call out Joe Biden for his bloody-minded hypocrisy on the issue of abortion.
To reiterate: You cannot be a Catholic and support abortion.
Thank you for continuing to sign this urgent petition.
___________________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (8/17/20)
The Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, keeps claiming to be Catholic but has said he will do everything in his power to support abortion.
And, with his pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, Biden has just cemented abortion into the Democrats' 2020 presidential ticket.
Indeed, Harris is vehemently pro-abortion.
During her time as attorney general of California, Harris played a key role in defending Planned Parenthood over its sale of aborted baby parts (which violated multiple federal laws, according to undercover video of abortion industry personnel).
And, last year, Harris unveiled a plan to essentially force pro-life states to seek permission from the federal government before pro-life laws can take effect.
Additionally, Harris has dangerous views on religious liberty and freedom of speech.
Harris displayed anti-Catholic bigotry in the confirmation hearings of Judge Brian Buescher. Harris cited his membership in the “all-male society” the Knights of Columbus and its stances against abortion and same-sex “marriage” as grounds for rejecting Buescher for a federal district court in Nebraska.
And, David Daleiden, head of the pro-life investigative group Center for Medical Progress, wrote that from his firsthand experience, he considers Harris the “greatest threat to First Amendment civil rights our country has ever seen.”
Joe Biden has seriously erred by taking on Kamala Harris as his running mate, further distancing himself from the truths of the Catholic Faith, especially that every life is sacred from conception till natural death.
Please CLICK HERE to read an article which details one U.S. bishop's warning about the Biden-Harris ticket.
And, please continue to SIGN and SHARE this petition.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Of course, these two things are incompatible: you cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion.
And, a "Catholic" politician's responsibility in this regard is absolute: On pain of serious sin, he or she can never promote abortion because abortion is the wilful murder of innocent preborn human beings, and also because doing so causes grave scandal to the Church and the faithful.
Please SIGN this urgent petition asking the bishops of the United States to refuse to give Holy Communion to Joe Biden until he publicly repents from his scandalous promotion of abortion.
Biden recently promised to “codify Roe v. Wade” as president, adding, "my Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate a woman’s protected, constitutional right to choose."
And, since starting his latest run for the presidency, Biden also flip-flopped against the Hyde Amendment, saying that he would allow federal funds to be spent on abortion - a position he claimed to be against for more than 40 years.
In short, Joe Biden will do everything in his power to enable and defend the wilful murder of innocent preborn human beings.
So, this should not be a hard decision for our U.S. bishops. In fact, in another circumstance, it was already done by an Illinois bishop.
Indeed, Bishop Paprocki, of Springfield, Illinois, invoked Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law to withdraw Holy Communion from two Illinois state politicians who had worked to enact radical new abortion legislation in 2019.
Canon 915 states: "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."
Of course, no-one, least of all the bishops, wants anyone to be deprived of Holy Communion.
A politician who publicly and obstinately advocates for the murder of innocent preborn babies puts himself out-of-communion with the Church and her teaching.
Pro-abortion politicians should not think that they can advocate for the murder of the unborn and receive the Body of Christ at the same time. This would be to defile the Eucharist while giving scandal to the faithful.
Depriving politicians of Holy Communion is not just meant to prevent scandal; it is also designed to bring a grave public sinner to repentance. In this way, such an action is meant to be for the good of their souls, too.
Thank you for SIGNING this urgent petition which calls on the U.S. Catholic bishops to refuse to admit Joe Biden to Holy Communion until he publicly repents from his scandalous promotion of abortion.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Joe Biden: I support abortion ‘under any circumstance’ - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/joe-biden-i-support-abortion-under-any-circumstance
Catholic priest denies Joe Biden Holy Communion for pro-abortion stance - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-priest-denies-joe-biden-holy-communion-for-pro-abortion-stance
Cardinal McCarrick and the Concealing of Rome’s Position on Denying Communion - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-mccarrick-and-the-concealing-of-romes-position-on-denying-communio
**Photo Credit: Joshua Roberts / Getty Images


lifesitenews--2020-12-17--Jericho Marches: Patriots descend on DC to rally, pray for America

WASHINGTON , D.C. , December 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Americans from around the country descended on the nation ’ s capital on Saturday to pray for our republic and to protect the integrity of our elections .
They came with banners supporting Donald Trump ’ s continued presidency , with their rosaries , and with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe since Saturday was her feast day .
LifeSiteNews ’ s Jim Hale was on hand to capture the moment and to interview the diverse crowd of patriots .
“ I was not born in this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven from California to be at the event , “ and I know what independence and what freedom means.
” “ I ’ d rather die than live in a country that has no freedom , ” she declared .
“ Enough is enough .
We have to choose to be American citizens above everything else , ” said another woman .
“ The only color that matters here in America is the red , white , and blue.
” “ The moral fabric of America is being unthreaded one unrighteous law at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time , ” she said .
“ We have everything we need to be a great America in our Constitution and biblical laws.
” “ We started our day with the rosary , asking for all of the saints in heaven to be with us on this day , ” said another , holding an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and wearing a shirt emblazoned with the American flag .
“ Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe , ” she noted , saying her group had implored her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sprinkle holy water and blessed salt around the Supreme Court and the Capitol , ” she added .
“ I want to keep America free .
I don ’ t want this to be a socialist nation , ” said another woman who wants her grandchildren to be able to live in a free country .
One man talked about the freedoms we once took for granted that have been taken away from us by political leaders due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Another suggested that God wants to eradicate the D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) .
All professed their love for America .
The Jericho Marches , held simultaneously in state capitals around the country , are about “ collectively praying to God to intercede , expose a particular darkness , and bring about justice , ” particularly “ for election integrity , transparency , and reform to preserve free and fair elections in America for this generation and generations to come — free from any corruption or interference , both foreign and domestic.
” The Jericho Marches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Evangelical and a Catholic received independently of each other , of people of faith coming together to pray , be unified , and rise up for the cause of truth and justice .
General Michael Flynn spoke to the crowd gathered on the National Mall , as did Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò , Bishop Joseph Strickland , Sister Deidre Byrne , Fr .
Frank Pavone , Dr. Taylor Marshall , and Abby Johnson .
See more photos below :

LifeSiteNews’s Jim Hale was on hand to capture the moment and to interview the diverse crowd of patriots.
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Americans from around the country descended on the nation’s capital on Saturday to pray for our republic and to protect the integrity of our elections. They came with banners supporting Donald Trump’s continued presidency, with their rosaries, and with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe since Saturday was her feast day.
LifeSiteNews’s Jim Hale was on hand to capture the moment and to interview the diverse crowd of patriots.
“I was not born in this country,” said a woman who had driven from California to be at the event, “and I know what independence and what freedom means.”
“I’d rather die than live in a country that has no freedom,” she declared.
“Enough is enough. We have to choose to be American citizens above everything else,” said another woman. “The only color that matters here in America is the red, white, and blue.”
“The moral fabric of America is being unthreaded one unrighteous law at a time, one unrighteous vote at a time,” she said. “We have everything we need to be a great America in our Constitution and biblical laws.”
“We started our day with the rosary, asking for all of the saints in heaven to be with us on this day,” said another, holding an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and wearing a shirt emblazoned with the American flag.
“Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” she noted, saying her group had implored her intercession.
“We’re going to sprinkle holy water and blessed salt around the Supreme Court and the Capitol,” she added.
“I want to keep America free. I don’t want this to be a socialist nation,” said another woman who wants her grandchildren to be able to live in a free country.
One man talked about the freedoms we once took for granted that have been taken away from us by political leaders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another suggested that God wants to eradicate the D.C. “swamp.” Still others called for the end of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
All professed their love for America.
The Jericho Marches, held simultaneously in state capitals around the country, are about “collectively praying to God to intercede, expose a particular darkness, and bring about justice,” particularly “for election integrity, transparency, and reform to preserve free and fair elections in America for this generation and generations to come — free from any corruption or interference, both foreign and domestic.”
The Jericho Marches were born of a vision that an Evangelical and a Catholic received independently of each other, of people of faith coming together to pray, be unified, and rise up for the cause of truth and justice.
General Michael Flynn spoke to the crowd gathered on the National Mall, as did Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Sister Deidre Byrne, Fr. Frank Pavone, Dr. Taylor Marshall, and Abby Johnson.
See more photos below:
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lifesitenews--2020-12-17--Trump admin withholds $200M from California for violating consciences on abortion

LifeSiteNews is facing increasing censorship .
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WASHINGTON , D.C. , December 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Today , the Trump administration unveiled steps that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services ( HHS ) and the U.S. Department of Justice ( DOJ ) are taking to enforce federal conscience protection laws by holding California and Vermont officials accountable for anti-life discrimination .
The announcement was made during “ Life Is Winning : Celebrating 4 Years of Pro-Life Accomplishments , ” an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the White House , highlighting the many pro-life accomplishments of the Trump administration .
California : $ 200 million in funds to be withheld from for violating federal conscience laws Secretary Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) announced that his department is taking enforcement action against the State of California “ for imposing universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance.
” “ We have informed California that this policy clearly violates federal conscience laws but the state refuses to fix the issue and comply , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we plan to withhold $ 200 million in federal Medicaid funds from the state in the first quarter of 2021.
” “ And unless California amend its policies , we will seek to withhold an additional $ 200 million every quarter until it complies , ” he added .
In January , LifeSiteNews ’ s Calvin Freiburger reported that the HHS issued a Notice of Violation to the state , declaring that California was in violation of the federal Weldon Amendment , which forbids federal assistance to states or localities that discriminatee against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” on the basis “ that the healthcare entity does not provide , pay for , provide coverage of , or refer for abortions.
” California officials chose not to heed the Trump administration ’ s warnings that the state is in defiance of federal religious liberty protections and said it would continue a policy of forcing private employers , even churches , to subsidize abortion .
Back in 2014 , California enacted rules forcing all employers to fund health insurance plans that cover elective abortions on the theory that they are a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic health care , ” regardless of religious or conscience-based objections .
The state has been embroiled in lawsuits over the policy ever since .
“ California will take no ‘ corrective action , ’ ” state attorney general Xavier Becerra wrote in a letter to HHS at the time .
The letter noted that the Obama administration , which was notoriously pro-abortion , had previously been satisified that waivers offered by the state to religious objectors satisfied the requirements of the Weldon Amendment , and “ the facts ... have not changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two complainants were the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit , a Catholic order of religious sisters , and Skyline Wesleyan Church , a non-profit Protestant group — organizations whose religious beliefs prevent them , in good conscience , from helping to pay for insurance coverage for elective abortions .
Vermont : DOJ suing hospital for forcing Catholic nurse to assist in an abortion “ This morning , the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division ... sued to stop a hospital in Vermont from violating the rights of health providers who follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performing abortions , ” announced acting associate U.S. attorney general Claire Murray .
An investigation by HHS found that in 2018 , the University of Vermont Medical Center ( UVMMC ) had forced a Catholic nurse to participate in an elective abortion .
“ What ’ s more , our suit alleges that the hospital actually misled the nurse into believing she was scheduled to assist in another , unobjectionable procedure , ” said Murray .
“ Although UVMMC could have readily , and without interruption to patient services , accommodated the religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its health care personnel , UVMMC has nevertheless illegally assigned numerous objecting personnel to such procedures , ” explained a statement from the DOJ .
“ In violation of the plain language of the Church Amendments , UVMMC ’ s ‘ conflict of care policy ’ reserves the right to disregard nurses ’ expressed religious or moral objections to participating in abortion procedures.
” “ Upon concluding its investigation , OCR issued a Notice of Violation letter on August 28 , 2019 , asking UVMMC to conform its policies to the Church Amendments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , UVMMC has refused to voluntarily comply with federal law and its contractual obligations as a federal grant recipient , ” continued the DOJ statement .
“ HHS has referred the matter to DOJ , which filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont on behalf of HHS , seeking a court order requiring UVMMC to comply with the Church Amendments and uphold its contractual obligations.
” Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of the Susan B. Anthony List , who was present at today ’ s event , praised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Federal conscience laws are more essential than ever at a time when pro-abortion Democrat-led states have tried to force health care professionals and entities , like nurses and insurance providers , to participate in abortion .
Abortion is not health care ; it is the destruction of innocent human life , ” said Dannenfelser in a statement .
“ Additionally , we now face the threat of a pro-abortion White House and a Cabinet stacked with radicals like Xavier Becerra , who has spent his career going after health professionals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refuse to promote abortion on demand , ” warned Dannenfelser .
“ The Weldon and Church conscience amendments are not optional , they are federal law , ” she continued .
“ Any incoming administration must enforce them and respect the foundational American freedoms and values they reflect .
”

The Department of Justice is also suing a Vermont hospital for forcing a nurse to participate in the killing of an unborn child.
LifeSiteNews is facing increasing censorship. Click HERE to sign up to receive emails when we add to our video library.
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today, the Trump administration unveiled steps that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are taking to enforce federal conscience protection laws by holding California and Vermont officials accountable for anti-life discrimination.
The announcement was made during “Life Is Winning: Celebrating 4 Years of Pro-Life Accomplishments,” an event hosted by Vice President Mike Pence at the White House, highlighting the many pro-life accomplishments of the Trump administration.
California: $200 million in funds to be withheld from for violating federal conscience laws
Secretary Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that his department is taking enforcement action against the State of California “for imposing universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance.”
“We have informed California that this policy clearly violates federal conscience laws but the state refuses to fix the issue and comply,” explained Azar. “Accordingly, we plan to withhold $200 million in federal Medicaid funds from the state in the first quarter of 2021.”
“And unless California amend its policies, we will seek to withhold an additional $200 million every quarter until it complies,” he added.
In January, LifeSiteNews’s Calvin Freiburger reported that the HHS issued a Notice of Violation to the state, declaring that California was in violation of the federal Weldon Amendment, which forbids federal assistance to states or localities that discriminatee against “any institutional or individual healthcare entity” on the basis “that the healthcare entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.”
California officials chose not to heed the Trump administration’s warnings that the state is in defiance of federal religious liberty protections and said it would continue a policy of forcing private employers, even churches, to subsidize abortion.
Back in 2014, California enacted rules forcing all employers to fund health insurance plans that cover elective abortions on the theory that they are a “medically necessary” part of “basic health care,” regardless of religious or conscience-based objections. The state has been embroiled in lawsuits over the policy ever since.
“California will take no ‘corrective action,’” state attorney general Xavier Becerra wrote in a letter to HHS at the time. The letter noted that the Obama administration, which was notoriously pro-abortion, had previously been satisified that waivers offered by the state to religious objectors satisfied the requirements of the Weldon Amendment, and “the facts … have not changed” since then.
HHS revealed that the two complainants were the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic order of religious sisters, and Skyline Wesleyan Church, a non-profit Protestant group — organizations whose religious beliefs prevent them, in good conscience, from helping to pay for insurance coverage for elective abortions.
— Article continues below Petition — PETITION: Shut down big government NOT small business Show Petition Text 22607 have signed the petition. Let's get to 25000 ! Thank you for signing this petition! Add your signature: Show Petition Text Country... State... Sign this Petition Many small businesses are being forced to close temporarily or even permanently under the strain of a second wave of government-imposed COVID shutdowns. This is totally and thoroughly wrong...especially when big business, government, and large segments of the professional world are totally insulated from the repercussions of the shutdowns. Something drastic needs to be done now! SIGN this urgent petition calling for state legislatures to cut the salaries of governors and mayors who are responsible for closing small businesses by enacting draconian COVID shutdown measures. The bottom line is that the people imposing shutdown measures need to feel the bite of the restrictions they are imposing on other peoples' livelihoods so that they have a personal incentive to re-open their economies and make accommodation for the survival of small businesses. Local restaurants, cafes, gyms, clothiers, bookshops, florists, and many more, are being forced to shut their doors, some forever. Americans who have spent their entire lives building their business - and, taken all of the risk - stand to lose everything. But, the following are all considered essential and never get shut down: lawyers, lobbyists, politicians, courts, big corporations, and the media... And, to add insult to injury, some politicians who are imposing these shutdowns, like Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, are actually getting huge pay raises starting in the new year. Cuomo's raise is $25,000 next year alone! This is utterly scandalous! It is time to say enough is enough! If small business owners are being CRUSHED by government COVID restrictions, the politicians responsible should also feel the BITE of those restrictions! This is the only way to make the "political class" understand how devastating their shutdowns truly are to small business owners and their employees. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, supply millions of jobs to people across the country, and ironically provide the taxes used to fund the programs so loved by most of the governors and mayors. Because of the nature of small and medium businesses, their owners and workers are on the frontlines of the COVID crisis. They need to be rewarded for this bravery, not closed down. Accommodation needs to be made for small businesses so that they can weather this storm and thrive after it has passed. These are businesses we all love using, and we want them to be there long after COVID is just a bad memory. When this is all over, do we really want every coffee shop to be a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, or every restaurant to be a McDonald's? The answer is not only "no," but "Heck, no!" Therefore, governors and mayors need to be personally incentivized to do everything in their power to see that small and medium businesses can survive and thrive - AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. That's why we're calling on state legislators to cut the salaries of all governors and mayors who are imposing draconian shutdowns where no accommodation is being made for small businesses. Please SIGN and SHARE this urgent petition today! **Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com Hide Petition Text Sign this Petition
Vermont: DOJ suing hospital for forcing Catholic nurse to assist in an abortion
“This morning, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division … sued to stop a hospital in Vermont from violating the rights of health providers who follow their consciences and refuse to assist in performing abortions,” announced acting associate U.S. attorney general Claire Murray.
An investigation by HHS found that in 2018, the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) had forced a Catholic nurse to participate in an elective abortion.
“What’s more, our suit alleges that the hospital actually misled the nurse into believing she was scheduled to assist in another, unobjectionable procedure,” said Murray.
“Although UVMMC could have readily, and without interruption to patient services, accommodated the religious or moral objections to elective abortion of its health care personnel, UVMMC has nevertheless illegally assigned numerous objecting personnel to such procedures,” explained a statement from the DOJ. “In violation of the plain language of the Church Amendments, UVMMC’s ‘conflict of care policy’ reserves the right to disregard nurses’ expressed religious or moral objections to participating in abortion procedures.”
“Upon concluding its investigation, OCR issued a Notice of Violation letter on August 28, 2019, asking UVMMC to conform its policies to the Church Amendments and take other corrective action; however, UVMMC has refused to voluntarily comply with federal law and its contractual obligations as a federal grant recipient,” continued the DOJ statement. “HHS has referred the matter to DOJ, which filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont on behalf of HHS, seeking a court order requiring UVMMC to comply with the Church Amendments and uphold its contractual obligations.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, who was present at today’s event, praised the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement action.
“Federal conscience laws are more essential than ever at a time when pro-abortion Democrat-led states have tried to force health care professionals and entities, like nurses and insurance providers, to participate in abortion. Abortion is not health care; it is the destruction of innocent human life,” said Dannenfelser in a statement.
“Additionally, we now face the threat of a pro-abortion White House and a Cabinet stacked with radicals like Xavier Becerra, who has spent his career going after health professionals, charities, churches, and nuns who refuse to promote abortion on demand,” warned Dannenfelser.
“The Weldon and Church conscience amendments are not optional, they are federal law,” she continued. “Any incoming administration must enforce them and respect the foundational American freedoms and values they reflect.”
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lifesitenews--2020-12-17--Pro-LGBT Fr. Martin lauds Biden naming Buttigieg to cabinet post but gets his facts wrong

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December 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Father James Martin , well known for his pro-LGBT activism , today congratulated open homosexual and former democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on his nomination for Secretary of Transportation in an anticipated Biden administration .
The Jesuit priest tweeted , “ Congratulations to @ PeteButtigieg , nominated by @ JoeBiden to be Secretary of Transportation .
If approved , he would be the first openly gay member to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step for the # LGBTQ community , whose members have so much to offer the world.
” Martin ’ s statement is , however , factually incorrect .
Richard Grenell , President Donald Trump ’ s Acting Director of National Intelligence , earlier this year became the first openly homosexual member of a presidential cabinet .
Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , made a mark in the campaign for the democratic nomination by flaunting his homosexual “ marriage ” to another man , and on one occasion inviting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly offer him advice on “ coming out ” as gay .
In response , Buttigieg was forcefully criticized as shamefully exploiting a child .
When a late August video message from Father James Altman titled “ You can ’ t be a Catholic and a Democrat , ” went viral , Martin responded by defending the moral acceptability of voting for Biden while also leading a prayer at the pro-abortion Democratic National Convention .
More recently , Martin garnered significant attention when he asserted that Catholic bishops would have to “ rethink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks by Pope Francis in support of this error .
He also suggested in November that religious liberty claims by Catholic adoption agencies who refused to place children with homosexual couples was “ a cover for homophobia.
” Though Biden was certified by a sufficient number of states as the winner of the presidential election earlier this week , evidence of enormous fraud continues to emerge while Republican electors cast their own votes in contested states to safeguard the ongoing process of litigation being pursued by the Trump campaign .
The electoral college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here ’ s why he won ’ t be president Help stop voter fraud : Project Veritas is accepting voter fraud tips here .

The Jesuit wrongly claimed Buttigieg as transportation secretary would be ‘the first openly gay member to serve in a presidential cabinet.’
Big Tech is censoring us. Subscribe to our email list and bookmark LifeSiteNews.com to continue getting our news. Subscribe now.
December 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Father James Martin, well known for his pro-LGBT activism, today congratulated open homosexual and former democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on his nomination for Secretary of Transportation in an anticipated Biden administration.
The Jesuit priest tweeted, “Congratulations to @PeteButtigieg, nominated by @JoeBiden to be Secretary of Transportation. If approved, he would be the first openly gay member to serve in a presidential cabinet. Another historic step for the #LGBTQ community, whose members have so much to offer the world.”
Congratulations to @PeteButtigieg, nominated by @JoeBiden to be Secretary of Transportation. If approved, he would be the first openly gay member to serve in a presidential cabinet. Another historic step for the #LGBTQ community, whose members have so much to offer the world. — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) December 16, 2020
Martin’s statement is, however, factually incorrect. Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s Acting Director of National Intelligence, earlier this year became the first openly homosexual member of a presidential cabinet.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, made a mark in the campaign for the democratic nomination by flaunting his homosexual “marriage” to another man, and on one occasion inviting a nine-year old boy on stage to publicly offer him advice on “coming out” as gay. In response, Buttigieg was forcefully criticized as shamefully exploiting a child.
When a late August video message from Father James Altman titled “You can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat,” went viral, Martin responded by defending the moral acceptability of voting for Biden while also leading a prayer at the pro-abortion Democratic National Convention.
More recently, Martin garnered significant attention when he asserted that Catholic bishops would have to “rethink their positions” on civil unions after remarks by Pope Francis in support of this error. He also suggested in November that religious liberty claims by Catholic adoption agencies who refused to place children with homosexual couples was “a cover for homophobia.”
Though Biden was certified by a sufficient number of states as the winner of the presidential election earlier this week, evidence of enormous fraud continues to emerge while Republican electors cast their own votes in contested states to safeguard the ongoing process of litigation being pursued by the Trump campaign.
RELATED:
The electoral college will today ‘certify’ Joe Biden…but here’s why he won’t be president
Help stop voter fraud: Project Veritas is accepting voter fraud tips here.
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lifesitenews--2020-12-17--COVID masks are programming us to hate other people and to treat them as sub-human

December 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — I ’ ve been going to the local gym for the last four weeks .
Election season is always stressful , and Michigan winters are cold .
Seeing how I work from home and all the restaurants in my state are closed due to our tyrannical governor , Gretchen Whitmer , exercising at the gym provides a much needed escape .
One of the gym ’ s requirements is that you have to wear a mask and wipe down the equipment after you ’ re done with it .
I have no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a while , when I ’ m running on the treadmill , rowing , or doing some other strenuous activity , my mask slips beneath my nose .
I ’ m not the only one this happens to .
I ’ d venture to say that at least half of my fellow gym-goers have their masks under their noses for an extended amount of time as well .
Staff rarely , if ever , walk up to them and ask them to pull them up .
They seem to be aware that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performing intense workouts .
This past week , a guy has been pestering me about my mask not being over my nose .
On multiple occasions , he ’ s walked over to me , breaking social distancing rules .
One time , he asked me , while I was in the middle of a planking exercise , where my hands were out in front of me on the floor , to pull it up .
No “ hello ” or “ hey , what ’ s your name ?
” Just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cloth on my face over my nose .
Eventually , he told the front desk worker that I wasn ’ t following the rules .
These sorts of impersonal , hard-and-fast interactions , purportedly rooted in the “ science ” that masks make us safe , are becoming all too common in America .
Every day I hear new horror stories about how someone at a store or a family outside at the park has been berated by a COVID Karen for not wearing his mask .
The video below , which shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ put your mask on , ” has been making the rounds on social media as of late .
It should send shivers down your spine .
There ’ s clearly some sort of shift happening to human beings at a subconscious level with all this mask-wearing .
It ’ s complex , but here ’ s what I think is going on .
Firstly , wearing a mask is how you show that you ’ re “ in the club.
” Masks indicate that you ’ re “ following the science ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the majority and superior to those who don ’ t wear one .
There ’ s a sort of collective brainwashing going on that ’ s teaching people to hate those who aren ’ t “ in the club.
” Second , wearing a mask is a form of virtue-signaling .
It shows we ’ re “ doing our part ” to help protect others .
It ’ s a sort of secular work of mercy , a pinch of incense , if you will , demanded by the state religion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing that masks do that ’ s equally repulsive : they hide our faces .
Now , why does that matter ?
Because by not seeing other people ’ s faces , you can ’ t see anyone ’ s emotions .
You can ’ t see , in other words , when they ’ re happy or if they ’ re smiling , which is one of the most pleasurable things the human eye can observe .
Masks also discourage small talk and handing out compliments about someone ’ s jacket , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us from returning a smile to an overjoyed infant sitting in his mom ’ s shopping carts at the check-out lane .
What a sad thing that we can ’ t smile back and talk with happy children at the grocery store anymore .
As far as I can tell , these masks are turning us into trans-humanist robots .
They ’ re making us view and treat other people as sub-humans , as mere carriers of a virus to be avoided and reported to the authorities immediately instead of children of God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charitable way .
I ’ m not excited to go back to the gym this week .
I imagine I ’ ll be asked yet again to put my mask over my nose when it falls below it .
If I am , I ’ ll comply as best as I can .
But I ’ ll also respond with a kind hello and try to get to know the guy who ’ s been on my case the last few weeks .
Maybe we ’ ll have some things in common .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ way , at least I ’ ll have tried to interact with him in a joyful , Christian way .
That ’ s really the only way out of this mess .

Masks disallow us from seeing other people smile, one of the most pleasurable things the human eye can observe.
December 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — I’ve been going to the local gym for the last four weeks. Election season is always stressful, and Michigan winters are cold. Seeing how I work from home and all the restaurants in my state are closed due to our tyrannical governor, Gretchen Whitmer, exercising at the gym provides a much needed escape.
One of the gym’s requirements is that you have to wear a mask and wipe down the equipment after you’re done with it. I’m fine with that.
But every once in a while, when I’m running on the treadmill, rowing, or doing some other strenuous activity, my mask slips beneath my nose. I’m not the only one this happens to. I’d venture to say that at least half of my fellow gym-goers have their masks under their noses for an extended amount of time as well. Staff rarely, if ever, walk up to them and ask them to pull them up. They seem to be aware that people need to take deep breaths when performing intense workouts.
This past week, a guy has been pestering me about my mask not being over my nose. On multiple occasions, he’s walked over to me, breaking social distancing rules. One time, he asked me, while I was in the middle of a planking exercise where my hands were out in front of me on the floor, to pull it up. No “hello” or “hey, what’s your name?” Just a cold-hearted request for me to put the cloth on my face over my nose. Eventually, he told the front desk worker that I wasn’t following the rules.
These sorts of impersonal, hard-and-fast interactions, purportedly rooted in the “science” that masks make us safe, are becoming all too common in America. Every day I hear new horror stories about how someone at a store or a family outside at the park has been berated by a COVID Karen for not wearing a mask. The video below, which shows a guy yelling at a woman to “put your mask on,” has been making the rounds on social media as of late. It should send shivers down your spine.
What is wrong with people?
pic.twitter.com/W8yY7z0sbo — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 15, 2020
There’s clearly some sort of shift happening to human beings at a subconscious level with all this mask-wearing. It’s complex, but here’s what I think is going on.
Firstly, wearing a mask is how you show that you’re “in the club.” Masks indicate that you’re “following the science” and that you’re a part of the majority and superior to those who don’t wear one. There’s a sort of collective brainwashing going on that’s teaching people to hate those who aren’t “in the club.”
Second, wearing a mask is a form of virtue-signaling. It shows we’re “doing our part” to help protect others. It’s a sort of secular work of mercy, a pinch of incense, if you will, demanded by the state religion of liberalism.
But there’s another thing that masks do that’s equally repulsive: they hide our faces. Now, why does that matter? Because by not seeing other people’s faces, you can’t see anyone’s emotions. You can’t see, in other words, them smiling and laughing, two thing that make us uniquely human and are some of the most pleasurable things the human eye can observe.
Masks also discourage small talk and seem to disincline us from giving compliments to someone about their appearance. Moreover, they disallow us from flashing a smile to an overjoyed infant sitting in their mom’s shopping cart in the check-out lane. What a sad thing that we can’t smile back at happy children anymore.
As far as I can tell, these masks are turning us into trans-humanist robots. They’re making us view and treat other people as sub-humans, as mere carriers of a virus to be avoided and reported to authorities immediately instead of treating them as children of God whom we should interact with in a charitable way.
I’m not excited to go back to the gym this week. I imagine I’ll be asked yet again to put my mask over my nose when it falls below it. If I am, I’ll comply as best as I can. But I’ll also respond with a kind “hello” and try to get to know the guy who’s been on my case the last few weeks. Maybe we’ll have some things in common. Maybe we won’t. Either way, at least I’ll have tried to interact with him in a joyful, Christian, and human way.
Follow Stephen Stephen Kokx is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Francis Cardinal George. A former community college instructor, Stephen has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching and politics. His essays have appeared in a variety of outlets, including Catholic Family News, CatholicVote, and Alpha News.
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