"Miserando Atque Eligendo"

His Holiness Pope Francis, "Lowly yet Chosen"

Nolite tangere christos meos et in prophetis meis nolite malignari. (I Par. 16:22, The Vulgate)

"Touch not my anointed ones and do no evil to my prophets." (I Chronicles 16: 22) It was shocking how even as Our Holy Father Francis stepped upon the balcony the detraction and calumnies of his enemies began, like many verbal stones. Yet his serenity and peacefulness are from beyond this world. The rage being leveled at this quiet man is beyond anything I have ever seen before; it tells me that the devil is threatened, which is always a good sign. May God protect Our Holy Father from those who hate him.

One of the best pieces I have come across on our new Pope was written by Rush Limbaugh, someone I hardly ever read, but he is right on target this time:

I heard people, in fact, media people, "Is this new hope, is he a liberal? Is he a conservative?" He's a Catholic! It's no more complicated than that. Catholicism is what it is. You don't have to believe it. You don't have to follow it. But it's not up to them to modernize to you. It's not up to any religion, although some do this, 'cause they want the money. They want the membership. But the Catholic Church doesn't do it. It's not up to them to bend and shape and mold itself to accommodate the shrinking depravity of a worldwide culture. It's to provide the exact opposite. It's to provide a beacon out of depravity, among other things.

Pope Francis I is bad news for the Drive-By Media. He is adamantly opposed to abortion. He is adamantly opposed to euthanasia. He has called the pro-choice movement a culture of death. He opposes same-sex marriage, which he has called demonic in origin. He opposes gay adoption on the grounds that it is discriminatory to the child. He opposed Argentina's legalizing of same-sex marriage. He called it a real and dire anthropological throwback. He was exiled by the Cristina Kirchner government. He was dispatched to the northern climes and the outposts of Argentina. He literally was cast out by the government.

And you know who rescued him? John Paul II. He's a protege, by the way, of John Paul II. John Paul II rescued Pope Francis from what essentially was internal exile, and he was made archbishop of Buenos Aires. And this just happened in early 2000. It's not that long ago. The Argentinean government had basically taken this pope, cast him out. He was teaching math. He was teaching high school math in small, little towns in northern Argentina because he refused to go along with Cristina Kirchner at present and her husband, who was her predecessor. He refused to go along with any of the cultural modernization, and as such they had nothing to do with him. And the Jesuits, of which he is one, had many left-wing members, and they were eager to cast him out, which they did. Oh, yeah, there are left-wing and right-wing Jesuits. There are left-wing and right-wing Catholics, as you know.

And this man, if you had to categorize him, you would have to call him -- and I really don't like doing this, but if it will help facilitate, help people understand, it would be accurate to say that he is a conservative. He's a conservative theologian. I had somebody that I really trust in these matters, a Catholic, who is in Rome, tell me today that in their opinion, Pope Francis is the Catholic equivalent of our Founding Fathers on federalism. But I find it fascinating that he refused to accede, refused to go along with any of the cultural modernization, which was same-sex marriage, contraception, abortion on demand.

And the Jesuits, the left-wing Jesuits working with the Kirchner government, basically threw him out. And he's rescued by John Paul II, made archbishop of Buenos Aires, and then a cardinal, and almost became pope when Benedict became pope, but the people that put him up -- he didn't want to be pope -- the people that put him up for pope in the conclave in 2005 were simply trying to block Benedict. And they failed. He's not crazy about being pope now, apparently. But he accepted it.

You know what he did today? Twelve hours after becoming pope he got in a small, little typical Italian putt-putt car and went to the hotel where he was staying during the conclave and picked up his bags and then went to a local church, which is devoted to the Virgin Mary, and prayed. This is stuff that presidents and popes dispatch underlings to go do. "Go get my bags. They're over at the hotel. Bring 'em back here to my papal apartment." He dressed up in his official pope togs and got in the car and drove over to the little hotel where he was staying, nothing fancy, picked up his own bags and went to church and went back to the Vatican.

I read some things this man has said -- and don't get the wrong idea. I'm just telling you why I like this so far. I'm reading things that he's said that I have authored in the Undeniable Truths of Life. One of my Undeniable Truths of Life is that senior citizens -- I'm paraphrasing my own truth; I don't have it right in front of me -- senior citizens are among the most valuable resource we have for our young people. And, of course, young people throw the elderly away and they laugh at 'em, old-fashioned fuddy-duddies, don't know what they're talking about. To the young, every old person has Alzheimer's. To the young, every old person has Parkinson's.

This man said that the elderly are the seat of wisdom in any society, is how he put it. He says adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children, which is why you're only gonna be hearing about the aspects of his life I just described, this common man, everyday man. This is not what they were hoping for.

The Vatican is apparently a mess, too, the Vatican Curia -- the White House, if you will -- the administrative aspect. One of the first things that he's going to do when he really sits down and gets serious, is there's a 300-page report on all of the corruption, the back-stabbing, the basic disintegration of the administration of the Vatican, all the petty politics. There's a report done that details it all, and he's gonna be charged here with making the appropriate changes, if he deems them necessary.

People have said that the Prophecy of St. Malachy has been proved false. I do not think so. I think it has been fulfilled. Another Jesuit, Fr. René Thibaut, surmised that the prophecy about "Peter the Roman" does not signify a future pope calling himself “Pope Peter II” but rather Petrus Romanus symbolizes all the Roman pontiffs since St. Peter, for the Church has continually undergone persecution of some kind. For Fr. Thibaut and other scholars, the final pope mentioned on the list is given the mysterious title Gloriae olivae, “The Glory of the Olive.” Fr. Thibaut says that the olive represents the people of God whom His judgment will glorify. It is then, as Fr. Thibaut interprets, that the kingdom of God will be manifested in an extraordinary manner. Benedict XVI is De gloria olivae, the last pope on the list. Fr. Thibaut makes it clear that this does not indicate the end of the world but the end of an era. Now we have a Jesuit pope, the first one, who is also the first pope from the New World. A new era has indeed begun. It is cause for hope rather than trepidation, hope which inspires reverence, prayer and vigilance.

There are other prophecies that are awaiting fulfillment. Whether they are for our time or a future time we cannot be certain. But given the recent events it is worth reading them.  Here is one from Robert of Uzes on the Papal Crisis and Angelic Pope (1292):

In the same place I saw in a dream that I was with my oldest brother and younger sister. While we were walking we came to a door and heard the words: "The pope is inside, if you wish to see him." We entered and kissed his feet as he stood on the ground. I was amazed that he would sit upon the ground and looked upon his short narrow bed with its very poor covering. I said: "Why is it, Father, that you have such a poor bed? The poorest of the poor bishops of the world would not have a meaner one." The pope said to me, "We must be humbled." Suddenly we were on our way down a mountain and I saw him in the habit of the Friars Minor [i.e. the Franiciscans]. (Read more at Emmett O'Regan's Unveiling the Apocalypse.)

 Remember the prophecies of the "Three Days Darkness" which everyone started reading in the 1980's? People were buying special kits with Holy Water and blessed candles to protect themselves? Mr. O'Regan has his own theory about that particular Prophecy, which is interesting for those interested in Catholic and Scriptural prophecies:

Although the prophecies of the Three Days of Darkness appear to be directly related to the "time, times, and half a time" in the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse (and would therefore be synonymous with the 35 years of apostasy leading up to the millennium), there is also the possibility that they can be used to point to another date. If the Three Days of Darkness are to be interpreted as representing three decades of darkness - three decades which are to be calculated from before the appearance of the Morning Star announcing the arrival of the new dawn in the Great Jubilee Year 2000, then we could have an alternative date concerning the start of the Great Apostasy - the year 1970; which is just before the end of the Zeitoun apparitions (see the post Our Lady of Light and the Apocalyptic Nativity). And if we use the alternative figure for the duration of the abomination of desolation, which is given in Rev 11 as 42 "months" (which is the equivalent of the three and a half years), then the "gentiles" trampling upon the Holy City would last for a period of 42 years - after which a restoration would take place. So according to this interpretation, the "trampling" of the Holy City underfoot would only last until up to the year 2012, and the restoration would begin the year after, in 2013. So this interpretation could also be used to support the Worthy Shepherd Prophecy.
Also worth noting is that there appears to be a division of the period of apostasy similar to the seventy years being cut short in Rev 11:1-3 below:

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
(Rev 11:1-3) (Read more.)

We have no way of knowing whether these prophetic utterances apply to our time or not. Let us watch and pray.

In the meantime, HERE is a post on the Pope's chalice. To quote:

Sitting in his workshop in San Telmo, pencil in hand, goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols drafts one of his most meaningful works of art: a chalice that will be delivered to “Pope Jorge” on behalf of all Argentines.

Pallarols knows that this is not just another piece amongst his many other works that have earned him the reputation of being one of the best goldsmiths in the world. This is special.

“It’s a particular gift, it’s for a friend, for a good man, but this is not just a gift coming from me. It comes from the Argentine population,” he said, still moved by the news. Unlike many of the great objects created by him and his goldsmith family, this one stands out for its simplicity. “It’s a simple chalice, like Bergoglio ism” he explains. Years ago, the artist created a chalice for former Pop Benedict XVI with the help of Bergoglio himself, and they both delivered it in person to Ratzinger a few months after he was elected as the Vicar of Christ. “While creating the design, Bergoglio would give his opinion about it and I’m trying to bring that back to this new work,” he explains.

“It will be simple. It will feature images of Our Lady of Lujan and Mary Untier of Knots, whose first painting was brought into the country by him. It will also feature Jesuit symbols and Argentine icon. It will be made of silver, a metal that represents our country.”

For Pope Benedict’s chalice, the artist visited several areas of Argentina and allowed thousands of Catholic followers to chisel it once so Argentines could “be a part” of the work. This time the process will be similar.

“We began working on this new chalice in Argentina, but in the next few days we will exhibit it at the entrance to the Vatican - under close watch by the Swiss Guard – so people can leave their mark. It will also go to Barcelona since I’m currently working on a chalice for the Sagrada Familia, which was commissioned by Bishop Sistach.

Lluis Martínez Sistach was one of the cardinals close to Bergoglio who took part in the recent conclave that elected him as Pope. But this isn’t the only object that Pallarols will be carrying to Rome. For the last four months, he has been working in an exhibit named “Argentina: the gaucho, art and faith”, curated by Roberto Vega, which will be opening in May in one of the galleries of the Vatican Museums.

A collection of 120 pieces will be exhibited.

Laughing, but respectful of the decision “coming from above,” he explains: “When we started working on the exhibit we wondered if it was a sign that the next Pope was going to be Bergoglio. What do you know, it ended up being him.” (Read entire article.)

Do read on how Our Holy Father came to pray the 15 decade rosary every day.

In a tribute to Pope John Paul II written after the Pontiff’s death in 2005, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires recounted how the Pope’s example inspired him to “recite the 15 mysteries of the Rosary every day.”

“If I remember well it was 1985,” Cardinal Bergoglio wrote. “One evening I went to recite the Holy Rosary that was being led by the Holy Father. He was in front of everybody, on his knees. The group was numerous; I saw the Holy Father from the back and, little by little, I got lost in prayer. I was not alone: I was praying in the middle of the people of God to which I and all those there belonged, led by our Pastor.”

“In the middle of the prayer I became distracted, looking at the figure of the Pope: his pity, his devotion was a witness,” he continued. “And the time drifted away, and I began to imagine the young priest, the seminarian, the poet, the worker, the child from Wadowice… in the same position in which knelt at that moment, reciting Ave Maria after Ave Maria. His witness struck me.” (Read more.)

Our Holy Father as a young Jesuit, third from the left, with his family

Our Lady, "Undoer of Knots"

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