Thoughts on SpiritDaily....?

... I admit, I go there, daily, to catch up on various things, spiritual and Catholic. And, I'm someone who keeps up on politics. With that, it seems "to me" that SpiritDaily tends to leave out (not entirely) political articles which would make Trump look good or his opponents look bad, in favor of even the slightest bit of news which makes Trump look bad. It's all subjective, and certainly one can argue I'm being subjective. But, it's my opinion.
...Whatever anyone wants to say about Trump, as a Catholic independent, I see a guy trying to ensure religious liberty (which doesn't mean giving a pass to bigotry), trying to curtail abortion via executive orders and Supreme Court picks, and trying to dampen the PC culture and culture of overly big, unaccountable government. No one else was going to do these things with such conviction. While SpiritDaily certainly doesn't come across as a left wing site, they often do post articles against Trump which seem to be the slightly slanted ones which you would find in the mainstream media or on left wing sites.
...I wonder if anyone else detects this admittedly "slight" tendency on their part.

 

Think Spirit Daily has 'opted out' of a lot of the political debate and sits on the fence with regard to the present papacy.

So much fence sitting both spiritual and political must be giving Michael Brown splinters on his buttocks!

 

Or 'they' and others do realize what is happening and instead of sensationalizing everything, they have taken it to prayer/penance. I believe there is much wisdom in this. I believe this is what Mark Mallett and others have done as well. Even some of them that left the MOG forum a year or two back have done.

 

Maybe - who really knows?

Lost interest in Spirit Daily when it started charging for a 'premium' service.

 

IMHO, I think Mark Mallett has the correct response in his blogs. He has clearly spoken to the confusion going on in society and church. Yet, he continues to come back to what is essential. He clearly has written, using scripture, papal writings, approved and alleged prophecy/messages, early church Fathers writings and the obvious tribulations we are are now in. However, what he also speaks of is where the battle takes us. We can only effect what takes place in battle with prayer and sacrifice. It does little good to preach to the choir. He rather spends his efforts keeping our hopes up in what is coming about through it all, ie.. the Era of Peace promised by our Lady of Fatima. His latest blog on the Middle Era, or the Era of the Divine Will, is what will carry us through the worst of the storm, which we have yet to experience. Hope along with prayer is what an expectant mother does before hard labor takes place. Yet, like the expectant mother the beauty that lies afterwards is what makes the pain bearable. I think this is where we are at. With the exception of a couple on MOG, they see what is happening to our beloved church and its unchanging truths, which come from God. I my own journey, I have tried to speak less about the destruction and more about what is coming afterwards, as focusing on the darkness is what Satan wants. He is having a great time watching God's faithful wrapped up in the tizzy. I don't want to give him this pleasure. I want to talk about his defeat through the rosary, through reading scripture and the messages from God that unfold what is taking place and rejoice that Satan's defeat is near at hand. What is happening must happen. Its all written and we who are living in sanctifying grace and in the divine will are helping to bring about the era of peace through prayer, sacrifice and suffering. Doing play by play on the latest scandals in the Church or society does not defeat the devil, it does not help our Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and Priest who need their eye's opened and I have stepped back a bit from doing so and I want to escape from it all together as I enter deeper within the divine will.

 

I think that everyone is different but if following what is happening is not bringing us closer to God than it is not helpful. My personality leads me to want to know what is happening as best as I can understand it but I realize that I will never fully understand it all.

Ultimately, I feel that we are witnessing an awakening of sorts. People are being pressed to make a decision about where they stand, satan's side or God's side. I also feel like I am being told over and over again to trust in God and not to fully trust anyone else but also to not be quick to make a final judgment about others either. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't say anything at all but I feel that I should deal with each situation as it comes. IOW, there is good and bad in everyone at different degrees. With that said, we can certainly question the actions of the Pope, President Trump, Putin, etc. especially the things of a truly serious nature. If we remain completely silent in the face of evil no good can come of that.

 

I have a different take on Mark. He is a brilliant catholic writer however, his piece on the fileld hospital and PF was terrible as PF's field hospital more closely resembles a soul crematorium, no apology for that from him.

 

I am not sure about that. Pope Francis, for all his heterodox off the cuff remarks, has also addressed our times in needing a field hospital and we do. There are many many broken souls out there that need our prayer and comfort in the Lord. The odd thing about Pope Francis is that much of what he say's is sound. It seems as if his positions on sexual issues are totally messed up from Church teaching. Yet, as Archbishop Chuput stated, his over all document on the Joy of Love is very good. I contend that God wants his salvation and it will only come through the faithful praying for him. I don't know how family and marriage issues, along with his social justice and global warming got all messed up in PF mind, but I know my salvation depends on praying for him and the other mixed up clergy. In the blue Peita book that I pray out of, there is a reflection from our Lords revelations to Mutler Vogel on attacking priests/clergy as it is very offensive to God. There is a fine line to reveal what is going on in the Church and perhaps some read this and start hating our pope, cardianal's, bishops and priests and we don't realize that some of what we post may contribute to others feelings. I have been guilty of this I am sure. I am at peace more in prayer than in play by play of what is happening in society and within the church. I sense in my own journey that he wants us to take our frustrations to him and not so much to print.

 

No doubt you are correct about people in need of a field hospital, myself included. I thought we had to repent and turn from sin to be cured. As for the pieta book from Mutter Vogel, non-approved I believe, a member of opus dei threw that in my face when I was trying to expose pedophilia by priests, bishops, etc. within the RCC throgh Roman Catholic Faithful. As Fr Malachi Martin said, never has Christ's church used children to fulfill His mandate. I am not opus dei, it is not my church right or wrong. There is right and there is wrong even though PF seems to be blurring the lines through his seamless garment bs. Not only blurring lines but the "who am I to judge pope" can't seem to stop judging orthodox/conservative catholics. As we found out in Roman Catholic Faithful, if you are not willing to fight evil get used to it. The Lord helps those who help themselves and certainly prayer is part of it. Christ threw out the money-changers at the temple, a good example for all of us.

 

Well said.

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

So what are you doing to fight the battle? All the preaching on MOG on what is going on in the Church is essentially preaching to the choir? Where are you truly "fighting evil"? Are you evangelizing neighbors or those who go to your church? What are any of us doing that makes a difference in the battle for the heart of the Church at this point? I don't know if I am gaining any ground, but I did recently get my pastor to apologize to the vicar general of our diocese because of liturgical abuse, which he said would not happen again. I did send my Deacon a 2 page letter for essentially preaching there is no hell and we should not fear the Lord. Have only seen him at the mass I go to once in the past 6 weeks, but he hasn't responded to me, nor will he. I am trying my best to keep my parish Catholic, but our pastor is lock stock and barrel with PF. Really, for me, it is all about preparing myself and my family for the real battle, the one we will all soon face, and that is the one where we will not be able to worship in our Churches any longer and the Church becomes very small in homes or refuges. Aside from a few battles within my own Church, all I can do is strive towards holiness in my own journey. I don't think many are 'fighting evil' at this time. We are really just observing it and making comment on it in this forum. I sense the most important thing we need to be doing is frequenting the sacraments and praying the rosary.

 

Michael Harold Brown was born in St. Mary's Hospital in Niagara Falls, N.Y. March 5, 1952, with twin sister Maureen. He is the son of Harold and Rose Brown. Harold was a CPA and Rose was a school teacher. They had eight children. Brown attended 24th Street Grammar School, Gaskill Junior High School, Niagara Falls High School, and Fordham University in New York City, where he obtained a degree in communications, specializing in print journalism. He interned at Newsday on Long Island. Upon graduation he was hired as a general assignment reporter for The Binghamton, New York, Sun-Bulletin. In 1976 he authored his first book, a journalistic and scientific look at those who claimed psychokinesis. In 1977 he rejoined The Niagara Gazette as a full-time reporter, covering outlying cities and towns and focusing on toxic-waste dumps in the towns of Lewiston and Porter. He then became the city hall reporter for Niagara Falls and a columnist. It was during this time that his focus turned to a toxic dump in the city itself, which soon became famous as "Love Canal." Through the grace of God, Love Canal grew into a major national and international story and sparked interest in the toxic waste problem. Michael also uncovered other toxic-waste threats. Michael's reporting was nominated for three categories of the Pulitzer Prize and drew a special award from the Environmental Protection Agency. President Carter declared Love Canal a national disaster. Michael then wrote a book for Pantheon (a division of Random House) entitled Laying Waste: The Poisoning of America by Toxic Chemicals, which was adapted for articles in The New York Times Magazine (three times), the Atlantic Monthly, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Family Weekly (now USA Today Magazine), and other magazines and major newspapers. The book drew many reviews and Michael appeared on hundreds of radio and TV shows, including national ones such as Today, Nightline, Larry King (radio), and McNeil-Lehrer. He lectured at more than a hundred colleges and universities for Royce-Carlton Lectures. He has spoken or appeared on media in more than 400 cities and towns in America and has traveled abroad extensively. He also wrote a book about air contamination called The Toxic Cloud. A book called The Search for Eve (Harper and Row, on paleoanthropology and mitochondrial DNA ancestral research) included a trip to deepest Africa. In the early 1980s, while writing a book about the Mafia for Simon & Schuster, he experienced a dramatic return to his Catholic faith (detailed in his book Prayer of the Warrior). His other books include Witness (for Faith Publishing, with Josyp Terelya), The Final Hour, The Trumpet of Gabriel, The Day Will Come, The Last Secret, Secrets of the Eucharist, After Life, Seven Days With Mary, The Bridge to Heaven, Sent To Earth, The God of Miracles, Tower of Light, The Other Side, and a novel, The Seven. His newest book is The Spirits Around Us. He and wife Lisa have three children, Elizabeth Grace, Joseph Michael, and Mary Rose, plus a parrot, Mikie, and are founders of the Catholic news website, www.spiritdaily.com. They live near St. Augustine, Fl. Michael has traveled throughout Europe and other places researching apparitions of the Blessed Mother and spiritual phenomena.


http://spiritdaily.com/michaelbrownbio2.htm

I understand that Newsday where Michael did his internship has a strong left wing bias.

However I have read his books and there is no doubt he is a very good Catholic indeed. But I suspect he would not be a Trump fan. Nor indeed am I.
Here is a good video from him, very interesting.

 

I agree with so much of what you say Fatima. We do need to evangelize to all those that are put in our path. Something that many of us on the forum here (myself included) probably do not do enough of. I did want to point out something that you mentioned though. Though it may seem like we are "preaching to the choir" here I don't think that is necessarily so. I have no idea what Padraig's viewing numbers are aside from members who post, but I know for myself this forum was invaluable in my conversion and enlightenment to what is going on in the Church. It also became a "home" or refuge of sorts long before I began posting.

Many times now when I go searching for things I find MOG coming up in the search listings. I think this site many have much more importance than we may think right off. There are also not a heck of a lot of Catholic forums on the internet that are as free to speak your mind at or that understand the crisis so well. In fact I may even say that MOG is singular in many of those respects. So kudos and thanks again to Padraig for providing this platform and to all of the members here for trumpeting out the clarion call of warning!

 

I'm not familiar with Spirit Daily. I think that I may have visited website to read something linked in a post on this forum but I don't recall what it was about.

Watching Raymond Arroyo's programme on EWTN a while ago I was shocked to learn that very little if any of US AID money was finding its way to persecuted Christians in the Middle East. $1 Billion had be allocated for persecuted minorities but it was mainly being channeled via the UN. If that was reported on any other of the regular Catholic media I missed it. President Trump is taking measures to ensure that the Christians and other persecuted minorities like the Yazidis will get aid due to them by sending the money direct to groups working with them. Have you seen that reported in any of the regular Catholic news media? I haven't other than on EWTN. Did Spirit Daily report it? Perhaps they didn't report it because there was a very mealy mouthed response from the people at the US Bishops' Catholic Charities organisation. I think that their initial response was that they would continue to work with UN agencies. Here's a link to Raymond Arroyo's programme where he discusses the matter with Congressman Frank Wolf. The whole programme was interesting but if you haven't time to watch all of it, the discussion lasts about ten minutes, starting at about 9:05 on the video..

 

...no, I hadn't seen or read of this on any other Catholic media. But then, I've always been aware of many Catholics or Catholic groups who support those in office who do all they can to undermine the church. I never can figure it out. I don't even recall how I found SpiritDaily, but if you have a site you go to which is similar, I'd love to know what it is.

 

Back in 2011 I went to Medugorje with Michael Brown and his family. He is a very devout Catholic and seems to take his mission in life to spread the faith through his books and website very seriously. I did ask him myself what his “go to” news web site was and he said CNN. I never forget that when I read the news articles on the right hand column. He may not be left wing but if his “go to” news source is CNN he is surely influenced by them.

 

I think he is a sstraight arrow devout Catholic and tries to walk the line on discernment and prophecy. His mission is somewhat “we report you decide” on Catholiccevents spiritual and material. I thought it was kind of cheesy when he started subscribers but then so does Johnette Bancovic and others. It gets expensive hosting a website I imagine.

 

I'm afraid that there aren't any similar websites I can recommend because I'm really not familiar enough with any of them. The best thing to do is take the good and leave the rest. I believe that it is unwise for Catholics to become overly attached to secular politicians or political parties. If all people (including clergy) who claim to be Catholic put faith before politics and voted accordingly, the politicians would have far more respect for our core beliefs because they would be very careful not to alienate such a large voting bloc. The very least I expect from Catholic media when reporting on current affairs is that they give credit where credit is due and call out pure evil even when that evil is being perpetrated by the party or politicians they prefer.

The US Bishops claimed that the Democrats duped them over the contraception mandate in Obamacare. Looking at the likes of Cardinal Cupich and others, I'm not convinced that they were duped. In fact the more I read about him and other members of the US hierarchy the more convinced I am that they knew exactly what would happen and gave it their support anyway. They certainly gave precious little support to the Little Sisters of the Poor. What happens in the US Church matters because it has an impact all across the globe. The US Church has a great deal of influence in developing countries because money talks and American Catholics are generous. When the Democrats were in power they were engaged in cultural colonisation of poor countries yet the US Bishops went ahead and supported them anyway. What does that say about the Bishops' priorities? Had Hillary Clinton been elected, I have no doubt that Catholic medical services in the Third World would have been forced to perform abortions or lose all foreign aid. Why on earth would any Catholic, let alone a Bishop, see that as caring for the poor? I think that Pence is the real Christian influence in the Trump administration. Their personalities are polar opposites yet Pence is managing to make some progress on correcting the dreadful evils perpetrated by the Democrats. You don't have to be a Trump lover to acknowledge that, yet some Catholic bloggers and news outlets seem to be afraid to do so for fear of upsetting Democrats who have actually persecuted people for their Christian faith. That makes no sense to me.

 

I am just getting ready to go out to mass. It is strange at this time of year it is only 3pm and already getting dark. It will be very dark going home. But it is sweet.

Concerning secular politicians and Faith...and politic and faith generally.

There was an articla in the, 'New York Times' recently by magazine Editor Rod Dreher in which he quotes Pope Benedict as having said that the Spiritual crisis facing the West is worse than anything since the Fall of the Roman Empire. This surely is so true.

Rod goes on to say that the Faith of many Catholics is not the authentic Faith but a kind of feel good quackery which caters to feeling good and being happy. Again I think this is true.

Rod released a book in March ,called , 'The Benedict Option', in which he put forwards the idea that Catholics will have to step back from politics and the world in order the regain orthodox belief and purpose.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9z_jDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+benedict+option&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNr_u08srXAhVEXBoKHTpHBUAQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=the benedict option&f=false

 

This reminds me in a funny kind of way of the Cenaclo , the centre for drugs addicts in Medugorje. These young people have to come away from the world in order to find themselves and Christ and so to return to the world as new people. I wonder if the Church drugged by all the world has to offer , to return to a place of prayer, a place withdrawn from the world in order to find itself.

I would love a Pope who called us simply to find Christ. To go apart from the world. .Not one with great wonderful theories about Global warming, wealth redistribution, attitudes to perversion and adultery and so on. Just one who called us to the desert, to prayer.

As to politics I think at the moment with the spiritual state of things hope in politics is an illusion. It is a bit like a surgeon who sees someone seriously inured in a car crash and gives them a skin graft ignoring the internal injuries. Having the leader I want is not going to fix the smashed up insides of things. It would be a skin graft.

In a way thinking there is a political solution is a form of idol worship. The people themselves have to change rather than simply the leaders. But before the people can change the Church must change and refind holiness.