Category: True Catholic Saints

Francisco and Jacinta, Designs of Mercy

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“The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you.”

Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto of Fatima

Today, we consider Francisco and Jacinta, the two youngest saints of Fatima. As we discussed in our earlier post, “The Promise”,

Francisco saw the Blessed Virgin perfectly, but did not hear Her words. He only understood the questions of Lúcia. As for Jacinta, who saw and heard everything, she never brought herself to speak to the apparition. Thus Lúcia was the only one to have the privilege of speaking with Her.” … “Young and quite small, the Queen of Heaven also came very close to (the) three children. For a pedestal She had chosen a little holm oak, about a metre high.  ‘We were so close’, writes Lúcia , ‘that we found ourselves in the light surrounding Her, or rather emanating from Her, about a metre and a half away, more or less.’ (from Sister Lucia’s Fourth Memoir)

In 1916, St. Michael the Archangel, the Angel of Fatima had told the children, “The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you”, but it was not until Our Lady began to appear that they perceived the true meaning of “designs of mercy”.  By the time of Our Lady’s third visit,  July 13, 1917, it was becoming clearer, and by then, Francisco could say emphatically, “What I want is to go to Heaven!” This eagerness for Heaven recalls St. Bernadette of Lourdes, who said of Our Lady,  “She was so beautiful that after seeing Her once one would be willing to die to see Her again!”

That Great Light Which Is God

Although Francisco was never able to hear the words of Our Lady, he was very astute in recognising many essential aspects of the apparitions: Continue reading “Francisco and Jacinta, Designs of Mercy” →

Lift up your hearts!

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Two readers forwarded the following from the newsletter of the Society of St. Pius X. “You may find in this some encouragement” one remarked. And so I have. Many of us have prayed ardently for. someone strong to take up the banner for the Immaculata and lead us in a renewed devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is so encouraging to find this occurring just as we have prayed so ardently for leadership to arise!

Dear members of the Society, dear readers,

With joy we inaugurate a new spiritual practice that will be dedicated especially to the Blessed Virgin. We will do this on May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady in Fatima, and during this year when we will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the consecration of the Society of Saint Pius X to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, which Abp. Marcel Lefebvre performed in Ecône on December 8, 1984. This twofold commemoration, however must not remain a pious memory, a bit sentimental and pleasant, of course, but without any effect on our spiritual life.

The reason for the existence of this new practice is to reawaken our souls, to rekindle our fervor, and to remind us vividly of the total dependence of the Society of Saint Pius X on Our Lady.

I wish to encourage you to read and to meditate on this consecration. The words pronounced by our founder were well-aimed and still have a burning relevance: the errors denounced in them certainly have not disappeared. On the contrary, they have grown and multiplied like cancer cells; they have gained ground and seem to have invaded the whole public square. My intention is not to make a negative, discouraging observation, as though everything that has been done was of no use. No, the battle continues as long as it has not been won; the struggle to drive out the sickness continues as long as there is any life. And we will fight as long as it takes, with the same weapons: recourse to the Virgin Mary, especially to her Immaculate Heart, the refuge of sinners and of combatants. Continue reading “Lift up your hearts!” →

St. Joseph the Worker, 2019

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Today, the first day of the Month of Mary, we honor St. Joseph the Worker. I’m anticipating the perfect opportunity this gives to the enemies of the Church to denigrate St. Joseph with the same old slurs and so will share with you some thoughts based on the work of of Edward Healy Thompson:

“… Christ was promised to Abraham as man, to David as his successor in his kingdom, but to Joseph under the name of Saviour;  in order that we may be persuaded that, although Joseph had no share in the formation of the Body of Jesus neither did he place the crown upon His head, he nevertheless contributed to making Him the Saviour of all men, journeying and labouring and toiling along with Him, and supporting Him by the fruit of his toils for so many years. And thus (he says) he was the last of the Patriarchs to whom the Messias was promised, but in a more excellent manner than all.” (The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, Edward Healy Thompson, Aeterna Press, Kindle)
Continue reading “St. Joseph the Worker, 2019” →

Return to Fatima, 2019

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The most useful message we can offer during this reign of the enemies of Christ is to  return to the true message of Fatima. Now, when the Church is being assaulted by those within its highest ranks, even the vulgar man occupying the See of Peter,  it seems that those who are faithful to tradition and devoted to Our Lady of Fatima are less in unity than ever before.  

Today, we have a leadership void and the temptation arises for various persons to “step into the breach” as it were and set themselves up as leader. As you look around the web, everyone, it seems has become an instant expert, opining on canon law, Thomistic theology and deep questions about the practice of the faith. It can be confusing, even overwhelming to those of us simply trying to hold fast to the faith against such odds. My goal is  only to call readers to return to the message of Our Lady of the Rosary at Fatima, from the Angel’s message on through the six appearances of Our Lady to the shepherd children and on through the locutions Sister Lùcia received and to help my readers practice the devotions requested by Our Lady of Fatima.

Right now, there is a “fog of war”, or perhaps, a “diabolical disorientation” which makes us uncertain and dispirited. As I talk with readers from various countries, I have yet to hear anyone report that they are energized by this crisis. All of us are severely challenged right now. How to proceed? Return to the simple things, for that is why Our Mother gave us her Rosary. She stole my heart when she asked Sister Lùcia for us to simply spend some time with her. Imagine! The great Mother of Our Saviour asking for a bit of our time! We are so  blessed!

The rule in all this is always the rule of love.  motivated by devotion to the glory of God, the honor of the Immaculata and the salvation of souls. If you do not discern those qualities in a writer, it is best to look elsewhere. Today, more than ever satan deceives so many by vain curiosity, and by promoting devotions which detract from the true devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Included in those essential devotions is  devotion to Our Lady’s Miraculous Medal, which honors her Immaculate Conception and is a most potent sacramental.

The first resource and clearest summary is the three volumes by Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth About Fatima, (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3) which are still available online through archive.org. That site is rapidly removing true Catholic classics.

Often today there is criticism of those who emphasise  “prayer and reparation” over the need for action. There should be a balance between them. To rush into action before obtaining a sound foundation in spiritual practice is to be defeated before starting. The true Message of Fatima is a call to the faithful to return to obedience and reparation. This obedience is required of each of us personally, and it requires humility, which is perhaps the most unpopular virtue today, even more disliked than purity.

Sin entered into the world through pride and disobedience. The Blessed Virgin Mary crushes the head of satan by her humble obedience to God’s will. In these latter days our loving  Father sends her, His most precious creature, to offer devotion to her Immaculate Heart as our secure path back to Him. It is from Mary, from her purity, humility and obedience, that we learn how best to understand what God wills for us in these confusing times.

Once we have that strong foundation under us, then we are able to discern the appropriate actions to take. But it can only lead to disaster if we jump into hastily taken actions without being spiritually prepared, for this is a spiritual combat first of all. It is pride that makes us want to seek out action before we have humbled ourselves by penance and mental prayer. . When we children of Mary are sufficient in numbers, we will have a leader, for Our Lady always provides for her own. Our first task is obedient devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the way she requested, that is Rosary, First Saturdays, make of everything a reparation, and so on as we have often discussed. If we sacrifice and pray for her requests to be obeyed, we shall see her will, and we will obtain all that we pray for and more.

Much of today’s confusion comes from a severe lack of trust in the most Blessed Virgin. Like a drowning man who refuses the life preserver in order to flail uselessly until his strength is gone, many souls are in great danger because they cannot trust Mary — Mary who offers such simple things as the Rosary —  for in this proud modern age we yearn to do “great things” for her. Paradoxically, the greatest things are often the smallest! And so, we kneel and pray, and trust her, and in that humility and obedience, especially that self-denial — yes, especially that! — there is much merit and we shall someday see how many souls are helped merely by spending a little time with her.

For the true way to conquer satan, look to this Immaculate Heart,  think now, what makes it Immaculate? It is Immaculate  because in that most pure heart, she never made any room at all for sin, she is eternally “full of grace”!  Her Immaculate Heart alone among all creation has never had satan’s mark, sin. Therefore it alone has the fulness of grace and perfect obedience. Our Lord Himself gave her to us for our Mother as He was dying for love of us. She is our abiding evidence of His loving care for us. He is waiting until we learn to trust her to teach us, to lead us to Him. My task here is to remind that He is still waiting for us to discover the true message of Fatima,  to examine the facts as they were revealed, that is, in the order which they were revealed.

To begin with the first:

The Angel of Peace

We show our obedience by heeding the requests of the Angel of Peace and Our Lady of the Rosary. From the beginning, the Angel’s instruction was:

Pray, pray a great deal! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you! Offer unceasingly to the Most High prayers and sacrifices!”

Lucia then asked the Angel how they were to sacrifice themselves. “Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended; and of supplication for the conversion of sinners….Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.”

So, in our action plan, the first steps are to, “Offer unceasingly to the Most High prayers and sacrifices”, and to “accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send” us.

Readers, no other action you may choose to take will be of any avail without obeying this command. We cannot allow ourselves to get distracted by other devotions or the search for ever more knowledge. Although the ongoing trainwreck of this papacy is certainly fascinating we must maintain our focus on obedience to Our Lady’s requests. That, in itself is a very good sacrifice!

The Angel’s Message, Part II

The Angel appeared again in the Fall of the year 1916. We reviewed that visit in a previous post. The message this time was an extraordinary vision of the Most Blessed Sacrament with which the Angel demonstrated to the children the importance of offering adoration and reparation to the Most Holy Trinity.

The vision, and the actions and words of the Angel make a stunning affirmation of the foundational doctrines of our faith:

  • The Angel affirms the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
  • The Real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the most Blessed Sacrament,
  • The absolute requirement for reparation to God for sacrileges, outrages and indifference which offend God,
  • The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are united; that is,  devotions to both Hearts is essential.
  • Lastly, the Angel affirms again that Jesus Christ is outraged by the ungratefulness of men towards His Precious, saving gift of His Body and Blood and we are called to make reparation for these crimes and console Him.

God willing, there will be two more summary  installments; the next on Our Lady of the Rosary’s six visits between May 13 and October 13, 1917, to be followed by a summary of the apparitions to Sister Maria Lúcia.  I hope they will provide a succinct, clear resource for you.

In closing, note please that the sequence is important. In short, the Angel’s visits set a context, warned of the problem: sacrilege,  and prepared for Our Lady’s message. Note also that the reparative devotion of the First Saturdays is essential to obtaining the necessary grace for a humbled, contrite pope and bishops to consecrate Russia to the Immaculata as Our Lady requires. 

Thank you for reading and for your prayers and encouragement. To those who have attempted to spread the message by sharing Return to Fatima with others, please do not feel disheartened. We must always give Our Good Lord thanks in all things!

God bless you all and Mary keep you close to her Immaculate Heart!

Pray the Rosary and confound satan and those who serve him!

† . Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.

 

French laws no longer recognize the Creator . . .

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“French laws no longer recognize the Creator, but the Creator will make Himself recognized and will visit her thrice with the rod of His wrath.”

Thank you all for your kind Easter thoughts and prayers. I hope your Easter was happy and very blessed! Readers ask for answers about the torching of Notre Dame and the prophecies we sometimes discuss here, especially that of St. John Bosco. A review:

Now, St. John Bosco’s prophecy about France, especially Paris, is a particularly helpful one, not just for Paris, or France, but for for the entire Bergoglian Reformed Church, which sadly no longer recognizes the Creator..

“War comes from the south, peace from the north. French laws no longer recognize the Creator, but the Creator will make Himself recognized and will visit her thrice with the rod of His wrath. In the first visit He breaks her pride by conquest, plundering ruined harvest and butchery of men and beasts.

“In the second visit the great Prostitute of Babylon, which makes decent people sigh and call it the Brothel of Europe, will be left without a leader and will be a victim of disorder. “Paris! Paris! Instead of arming yourself in the name of the Lord, you fortify yourself with Houses of Immorality. They will be destroyed by you yourself. Your idol, The Pantheon, will be burnt to ashes in order that this may come true: ‘violence uttereth lies against me.’ Your enemies will reduce you to want, to hunger, to fear, and will make you the abomination of the nations. Ah, woe to you, if you do not recognize the hand that strikes you! I want to punish immorality, the despising of and the contempt for My law, says the Lord. …

“In the third visit you will fall into the hands of foreigners. Your enemies standing afar off will behold your palaces in flames. Your homes will become a heap of ruins bathed with the blood of your heroes who are no more. But there will come a great warrior from the North carrying a banner and on the right hand that supports it is written: ‘The Irresistible Hand of the Lord. The days fly by, your years will reach the destined number; but the great Queen (Mary) will ever be your help, and as in times past so in the future She will always be the exceeding great fortress of the Church.” (. . . )

“The enemy of the good does not stand idle one moment…He will raise up enemies amongst my children. The powers of the world will belch forth fire,  (. . . ) Wherever you go, continue and bring to an end the work entrusted to you. The days fly by, your years will reach the destined number; but the great Queen (Blessed Virgin Mary) will ever be your help, and as in times past so in the future She will always be the exceeding great fortress of the Church.”  (From “The Prophets and Our Times“, by Rev. Gerald Culleton, by KIC, Kindle Edition.)  

A reasonable interpretation, in light of what we know now, would be:

The Saint refers to France in terms that might be used by the Old Testament prophets castigating the unfaithful of Israel, calling her “the great Prostitute of Babylon”  and “the Brothel of Europe”, both references to France unfaithful to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and become cold and indifferent to the faith.

“Instead of arming yourself in the name of the Lord, you fortify yourself with Houses of Immorality.”  That is, instead of arming themselves with the weapons given by Our Lady of Fatima, the faithless shepherds chose the treasonous path of surrender before the secular agenda of the Rulers of the World, the enemies of Christ and His Church.

St. John Bosco calls the churches of France, “Houses of Immorality”, and he warns that they, “will be destroyed by you yourself. Your idol, The Pantheon, will be burnt to ashes in order that this may come true: ‘violence uttereth lies against me.’ Your enemies will reduce you to want, to hunger, to fear, and will make you the abomination of the nations.”  Refers to replacing the true evangelic mission of the Church with idolatrous liberalism, pantheistic ecumenism and sexual depravity. The Churchmen of France have allowed her churches to become stripped of their sacred character and become complicit in their prostitution as tourist traps debased to the leve of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. “They will be destroyed by you yourself” is obvious. Long before the terrorist torching of Notre Dame, the Bishops themselves destroyed the structures of the faith they have abandoned.

“Ah, woe to you, if you do not recognize the hand that strikes you!”  Yes, woe to the cowardly Bishops who follow their pontiff, agreeing to “speak not a word” about the true enemies of Christ who continue to smite the Bride of Christ.

The” third visit” is self-explanatory,  “you will fall into the hands of foreigners … the enemy will raise up enemies from amongst my children . . . the powers of the world will belch forth fire”. At the end, Our Lady, as the Holy Ghost keeps reminding us, “will ever be your help, and as in times past so in the future She will always be the exceeding great fortress of the Church.”

 

There is another interesting prophecy, oddly enough, by a Jesuit from the 18th century, Father Nectou:

“When those things come to pass which will bring on the triumph of the Church, then will such confusion reign on earth that people will think God has permitted them to have their own contrary will and that the providence of God is not concerned about the world. The confusion will be so general that mankind will not be able to think aright, as if God had entirely withheld His providence from mankind, and that, during the worst crisis, the best that can be done would be to remain where God has placed us, and persevere in fervent prayer.

“Two parties will be formed in France which shall fight unto death. The party of evil will at first be stronger; the good side shall be weaker. At that time there shall be such a terrible crisis that people, frightened by events, shall believe that the end of the world is come. Blood shall flow in several large cities. The very elements shall be convulsed. It will be like a little general judgment. A great multitude of persons shall perish in these calamitous times.

“But the wicked shall never prevail. They indeed shall conspire for the destruction of the Church; but time shall not be allowed them, because this frightful crisis shall be of a short duration. When all will be considered lost, all shall be found safe. During this revolution, which shall very likely be general, and not confined to France, Paris shall be destroyed so completely that, twenty years afterwards, fathers walking over its ruins with their children, these will inquire what place that was. To whom they will answer: “My child, this was formerly a great city, which God has destroyed on account of her crimes.”

“Paris shall certainly be destroyed, but before this occurs, such signs and portents shall be observed, that all good people will be induced to fly away from it. After this most terrible event, everything shall return to order; justice shall reign in the world, and the counter-revolution shall be accomplished. The triumph of the Church will then be so complete that nothing like it shall ever be seen, for this will be the last victory of the Church upon earth. Those persons who shall behold this last revolution will thank God for having preserved them to witness this glorious triumph of the Church.” (This prophecy as well is from the book cited above.)

Note that Father Nectou foresees a confusion that “will be so general that mankind will not be able to think aright, as if God had entirely withheld His providence from mankind,”  That reminds me of what Father Malachi Martin said to us about the Third Secret.

The most intriguing portion of Father Nectou’s prophecy is the little vignette he offers, of a father telling his son about the the devastated city of Paris, My child, this was formerly a great city, which God has destroyed on account of her crimes.”

This need not be! Whether she is honored as Our Lady of Paris, or Our Lady of Fatima, she will bring the victory for she is truly, “the exceeding great fortress of the Church.”

Pray the Rosary !

†  Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.
†  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Viva Cristo Rey!
†  O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee..
†  St. Joseph, protect us, protect our families, protect our priests.
†  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

Please pray for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

~ by evensong for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, King.
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine enemies!

The Seven Last Words, VII

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The Seventh and Last Word:

THE SEVENTH WORD

“Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”

He has cried with a loud voice, and the rocks have rent to its echo, and the earth is shaken, and the Veil of the Old Testament is torn from top to bottom as the Old Covenant passes into the New and the enclosed sanctity of the Most Holy Place breaks out into the world. And now, as the level sun shines out again beneath the pall of clouds, He whispers, as at Mary’s knee in Nazareth, the old childish prayer and yields up His spirit into His Father’s hands.

The last Paradox, then, is uttered. He Who saves others cannot save Himself! The Shepherd of souls relinquishes His own. For, as we cannot save our lives unless we lose them for His sake, so He too cannot save them unless He loses His for our sake.

Continue reading “The Seven Last Words, VII” →

The Seven Last Words, Part VI

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Continuing the Lenten Sermon of Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson, Part VI

THE SIXTH WORD

“It is consummated.”

He has finished His “Father’s business,” He has dealt with sinners and saints, and has finally disclosed to us the secrets of the Soul and the Body of His that are the hope of both sinners and saints alike. And there is no more for Him to do.

An entirely new Beginning, then, is at hand, now that the Last Sabbath is come — the Last Sabbath, so much greater than the First as Redemption is greater than Creation. For Creation is a mere introduction to the Book of Life; it is the arrangement of materials that are to be thrown instantly into confusion again by man, who should be its crown and master. The Old Testament is one medley of mistakes and fragments and broken promises and violated treaties, to reach its climax in the capital Mistake of Calvary, when men indeed “knew not what they did.” And even God Himself in the New Testament, as man in the Old, has gone down in the catastrophe and hangs here mutilated and broken. Real life, then, is now to begin.

Yet, strangely enough, He calls it an End rather than a Beginning. “Consummatum est!”

Continue reading “The Seven Last Words, Part VI” →

The Seven Last Words, IV and V

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Continuing Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson’s Lenten sermon, “The Seven Last Words”, Parts IV & V

THE FOURTH WORD

“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

Our Blessed Lord in the revelation He makes from the Cross passes gradually inwards to Himself Who is its centre. He begins in the outermost circle of all, with the ignorant sinners. He next deals with the one sinner who ceased to be ignorant, and next with those who were always nearest to Himself, and now at last He reveals the deepest secret of all. This is the central Word of the Seven in every sense. There is no need to draw attention to the Paradox it expresses.

I. First, then, let us remind ourselves of the revealed dogma that Jesus Christ was the Eternal Son of the Father; that He dwelt always in the Bosom of that Father; that when He left heaven, He did not leave the Father’s side; that at Bethlehem and Nazareth and Galilee and Jerusalem and Gethsemane and Calvary He was always the Word that was with God and the Word that was God. Next, that the eyes even of His Sacred Humanity looked always and continuously upon the Face of God, since His union with God was entire and complete: as He looked up into His Mother’s face from the manger, He saw behind it the Face of His Father; as He cried in Gethsemane, “If it be possible”, even in His Sacred Humanity He knew that it could not be; as He groaned out on Calvary that God had forsaken Him, He yet looked without one instant’s intermission into the glory of heaven and saw His Father there.

Continue reading “The Seven Last Words, IV and V” →

The Seven Last Words, III

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Continuing from Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson’s Lenten Sermon on the Seven Last Words of Christ Our Lord, Part III, from “Paradoxes of Catholicism”.

THE THIRD WORD

“Woman, behold thy son. Behold thy mother”

Our Divine Lord now turns, from the soul who at one bound has sprung into the front rank, to those two souls who have never left it, and supremely to that Mother on whose soul sin has never yet breathed, on whose breast Incarnate God had rested as inviolate and secure as on the Bosom of the Eternal Father, that Mother who was His Heaven on earth. Standing beside her is the one human being who is least unworthy to be there, now that Joseph has passed to his reward and John the Baptist has gone to join the Prophets — “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, who had lain on the breast of Jesus as Jesus had lain on the breast of Mary.

Our Lord has just shown how He deals with His dear sinners; now He shows how He will “be glorified with His Saints”. The Paradox of this Word is that Death, the divider of those who are separated from God, is the bond of union between those that are united to Him.

Continue reading “The Seven Last Words, III” →

The Seven Last Words, II

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Continuing Monsignor Benson’s “Seven Last Words”, Part II

THE SECOND WORD

“Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.”

Our Divine Lord, in this Second Word, immediately applies and illustrates the First and drives its lesson home. He shows us how the rain of mercy that poured out of heaven in answer to the prayer He made just now enlightens the man who, above all others present on Calvary, was the most abjectly ignorant of all; the man who, himself at the very heart of the tragedy, understood it less, probably, than the smallest child on the outskirts of the crowd.

His life had been one long defiance of the laws of both God and man. He had been a member of one of those troops of human vermin that crawl round Jerusalem, raiding solitary houses, attacking solitary travellers, guilty of sins at once the bloodiest and the meanest, comparable only to the French apaches of our own day. Well, he had been gripped at last by the Roman machine, caught in some sordid adventure, and here, resentful and furious and contemptuous, full of bravado and terror, he snarled like a polecat at every human face he saw, snarled and spat at the Divine Face Itself that looked at him from a cross that was like his own; and, since he had not even a spark of the honour that is reputed to exist among thieves, taunted his fellow criminal for the folly of His crime.

Continue reading “The Seven Last Words, II” →