The Novus Ordo, The Abomination of Desolation, And The Prophet Daniel --Part II

 

To My Readers: This week, my monthly guest poster, Mr. Dominic Caggeso, continues presenting his analysis of the Vatican II sect in light of the Old Testament. My gratitude to Dominic, Bellarminus, and John Gregory for giving me three weeks off from researching and writing! It was my longest continuous break in twelve years!! 

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

The Novus Ordo, The Abomination of Desolation, And The Prophet Daniel--Part II

By Dominic Caggeso

“I am come to shew it to thee, because thou art a man of desires.” In Daniel 9:23, this is what the angel Gabriel told the prophet Daniel as he wept for his people. That which the angel Gabriel showed to Daniel is the same that Our Lord referred to in the Gospel of St. Matthew 24:15 when He said: “When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand”. 

In this chapter of the book of Daniel that we are given the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, a mysterious timetable of events leading up to the dreaded abomination of desolation and the destruction of “the city” and “the sanctuary”. At the beginning of chapter 9, before Daniel was given this prophecy, he was contemplating the length of the Jews’ exile in Babylon.  He was confessing his sins and the sins of his people, weeping for their punishment and begging for God’s mercy. For this, the angel Gabriel called Daniel a “man of desires” and went on to mystically explain to Daniel the length of exile, the coming of Christ, and the end times abomination of desolation, all at the same time through this enigmatic prophecy.

It stands to reason, therefore, that if we are looking to the prophet Daniel for understanding about the abomination of desolation, as Our Lord indicated for us to do, then we must be, like Daniel, a “man of desires”. As Daniel lamented the sad state of his people, do we also lament the state of Catholics? The Second Vatican Council has destroyed the Faith of countless unfortunate souls. Those of us who have retained the Faith are scattered, having no pope to unify us. This long and grinding sedevacante crisis wears down our zeal. With each passing year, we must dig deeper to renew our fervor, lest we grow lukewarm. Our Lord warned us that “the charity of many shall grow cold” because of an abundance of inequity. Do we yearn for the Church’s vindication as Daniel pleaded for an end to his people’s exile? If we are moved by such longings in our hearts and stirrings in our souls, then perhaps we are a “man of desires”.

I believe a certain kind of detachment is necessary to pursue these prophecies. There can be a stigma associated with those who seek to understand the book of Daniel. Despite some rolling eyes and light chuckles, I am spurred forward along this path by Christ’s words “as spoken by the prophet Daniel”. Furthermore, after coming to terms with sedevacantism and invalid NO rites, one becomes less influenced by the opinions and esteem of “the many." The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks will be fulfilled, or Our Lord would not have mentioned it. The question remains, “Who will be given the grace to see”? 

This path, through the prophecies in the book of Daniel, has been attempted many times before. Protestants have been searching for end-times answers by means of this prophecy, coming up with outlandish conclusions. This prophecy, as we will shortly see, features “the sacrifice” as a central concept. Because Protestants have rejected the Holy Mass, they have no idea what this “sacrifice” could be and thus, are obstructed from seeing this prophecy’s fulfillment. Like a treasure map, the starting place is vital. Get that wrong and the rest of the map is useless. The Protestants are looking in all the wrong places. Further, as you will see, those in the Novus Ordo are also obstructed from seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy. The prophecy goes on to mention that “the victim and the sacrifice shall fail”. If the “sacrifice” is the Holy Mass, then only Traditional Catholics are positioned to understand this. Those in the Novus Ordo are unaware that their “sacrifice” is invalid. They are unaware that the Holy Mass was almost completely suspended and absent from the face of the earth for a couple of years starting in 1969-1971.

By the grace of God, Traditional Catholics are uniquely equipped to see the fulfillment of this prophecy. We must only connect the abomination of desolation with the Novus Ordo rite to establish a starting place for our treasure map. This association has already been made in my last blog post dated March 11, 2024 (http://introiboadaltaredei2.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-novus-ordo-abomination-of.html). If you have not yet read that blog post, then you might be unaware of just how solid and likely the assertion that the Novus Ordo rite is the abomination of desolation for which we have been awaiting. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you read that blog post first since the conclusions of this article are based, in part, on the assertions in that one. 

Because this prophecy from the book of Daniel is mysterious, and because it deals with such a significant subject, please allow me to construct a little more framework from which I will explain my thoughts before we get into the actual prophecy itself. I would like to:

1. Briefly summarize last month’s article dated March 11, 2024, just to refresh the memories of those who have read it.

2. Briefly summarize the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks and then invite you to read the actual prophecy.

1. Summary of Last Month’s Article

The books of the Maccabees seem very much to be a foreshadowing of the Second Vatican Council. The Hellenizing Jews at the beginning of the book are like the Modernists present in the Church before the Council. The Temple was stripped of its ornaments and beauty just as Catholic Churches across the world were likewise stripped. The Jews suffered under usurper Hellenizing high priests just as Catholics suffered under usurper modernist anti-popes. Women thrust themselves into the holy places in the Temple just as they did inside our churches after the Council. A second altar was erected in the Temple just like the second “altar” that was placed in every Catholic church worldwide.

It is powerfully persuasive to see so many chronological parallels, much more than just one or two isolated connections. Therefore, when we see that the abomination of desolation in the books of the Machabees was placed on the second altar in the Temple, the significance of the Novus Ordo appearing on second “altars” in churches across the world is magnified. Thus we can conclude, based on a combination of these parallels and also our lived experience as Traditional Catholics, that the Novus Ordo rite is the pre-eminent fulfillment of Our Lord’s warning of the abomination of desolation “standing in the holy place”. (I say “pre-eminent fulfillment” because I believe there are many other minor fulfillments. I will explain this at the end of this article.)

2. Summary of the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

The prophecy starts with a decree to rebuild “Jerusalem”. From that point, the seventy-week countdown starts. There is no specific mention as to what exactly constitutes a “week”. We can logically deduce that a “week” consists of seven units of equal time. It is commonly assumed that each “week” is seven actual years.  This is the “Weeks of Years” method in which each day of the week is one year, thus each “week” is seven years.  By a simple calculation, the seventy weeks is equivalent to 490 years.  Indeed, this is the method employed in the footnotes of the Douay Rheims Bible, as noted below. Using this method and starting with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes (per the Douay Rheims footnotes), we arrive at the baptism of Christ.

The seventy weeks are broken up into three separate periods. There is a seven-week period, a sixty-two-week period, and a one-week period: totaling seventy weeks. The one-week period is also known as the “final week”. 

• After the sixty-two weeks, Jerusalem will be built up again in the “straitness of times"

• After sixty-two weeks, “Christ shall be slain”

• In the mid-point of this “final week” the abomination of desolation appears

• At the start of this “final week”, “he” will “confirm the covenant with many” 

Here is the actual prophecy and corresponding footnotes:

“Seventy weeks are shortened upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, that transgression may be finished, and sin may have an end, and iniquity may be abolished; and everlasting justice may be brought; and vision and prophecy may be fulfilled; and the saint of saints may be anointed. Know thou therefore, and take notice: that from the going forth of the word, to build up Jerusalem again, unto Christ the prince, there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks: and the street shall be built again, and the walls in straitness of times. And after sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain: and the people that shall deny him shall not be his. And a people with their leader that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be waste, and after the end of the war the appointed desolation.  And he shall confirm the covenant with many, in one week: and in the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fail: and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation: and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the end. 

- Daniel 9: 24-27

[24] "Seventy weeks": Viz., of years, (or seventy times seven, that is, 490 years,) are shortened; that is, fixed and determined, so that the time shall be no longer. 

[25] "From the going forth of the word": That is, from the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, when by his commandment Nehemias rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, 2 Esd. 2. From which time, according to the best chronology, there were just sixty-nine weeks of years, that is, 483 years to the baptism of Christ, when he first began to preach and execute the office of Messias.-- Ibid. 

[25] "In straitness of times": angustia temporum: which may allude both to the difficulties and opposition they met with in building: and to the shortness of the time in which they finished the wall, viz., fifty-two days. 

[26] "A people with their leader": The Romans under Titus. 

[27] "In the half of the week": or, in the middle of the week, etc. Because Christ preached three years and a half: and then by his sacrifice upon the cross abolished all the sacrifices of the law.-- Ibid. 

[27] "The abomination of desolation": Some understand this of the profanation of the temple by the crimes of the Jews, and by the bloody faction of the zealots. Others of the bringing in thither the ensigns and standard of the pagan Romans. Others, in fine, distinguish three different times of desolation: viz., that under Antiochus; that when the temple was destroyed by the Romans; and the last near the end of the world under Antichrist. To all which, as they suppose, this prophecy may have a relation. 

Now that we have been prepped, we are ready to start our journey. I intend to lay out the prophecy fulfillment by working backward. The identification of the Novus Ordo rite as the abomination of desolation is the keystone on which this interpretation will rest. Once we determine the actual date on which the Novus Ordo was implemented, then we can assume that date to be at the mid-point of the “final week”. Once we identify the “final week”, we should theoretically be able to work backward again to see the previous sixty-nine weeks, arriving at the beginning of the prophecy: the decree to rebuild “Jerusalem”. 

Ascertaining a Concrete Date for the Novus Ordo

If the Novus Ordo is the pre-eminent fulfillment of the abomination of desolation, and because the Novus Ordo rite is a historical occurrence with concrete dates associated with it, then we can gain a handle on which to grab ahold of this prophecy. The two major dates associated with the Novus Ordo are April 3, 1969 (the day it was first officially introduced) and Nov 28, 1971 (the date after which no diocese had the option to still say the Tridentine Mass). This date of Nov 28, 1971, is given by Fr. Cekada in this article, page 8.   https://www.traditionalmass.org/images/articles/P6Illegally.pdf

Given the universal character of the Novus Ordo implementation deadline of Nov 28, 1971, it is the best candidate. On April 3, 1969, the Novus Ordo was just being introduced and would not have been yet experienced by all Catholics. But by Nov 28, 1971, virtually every Mass-attending Catholic, in their parish church, saw the abominable rite of the Novus Ordo on a second altar.

Identifying the Final Week

Assuming that the date of Nov 28, 1971 is a logical choice for when the Novus Ordo appeared in the “holy place”, then we would have to assume, per the prophecy, that this date is in the middle of the “final week”. The next step is to find a unit of time, divisible by seven, that has its midpoint in 1971. Going simultaneously backward and forward from this date, in equal time increments, we should eventually arrive at some kind of significant “week”, which to be convincing, should be marked with distinct and relevant beginning and endpoints. I’ll spare you the long process that I employed and cut to the chase.

If we go backward forty-two years, and then also forward forty-two years, we come to the two dates of Feb. 11, 1929 and Feb 11, 2013. This first date is very important in modern Catholic history. On Feb 11, 1929 the Lateran Treaty was signed between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy, creating the modern-day city-state of Vatican City. This was extremely significant because, in 1870, the Italian freemasons stole the Papal States, interrupting the First Vatican Council. From that point onward, the popes would not leave the Vatican in protest, referring to themselves as “prisoners in the Vatican”. The Church was persecuted by the new freemasonic kingdom of Italy. The 1929 Lateran Treaty changed this, not only by granting a small portion of the Holy See’s land back (Vatican City) but also by establishing Catholicism as the state religion in Italy. Canon law regulated Italian marriage law. Catechism was taught in primary and secondary public schools. The Italian state adopted the Church’s holy days as official state holidays, and much more. In doing all this, the Lateran Treaty “confirmed the covenant with many”, just as the prophecy says would happen. So far so good!

The date that punctuates the end of the “final week” is Feb 11, 2013. On this exact date, Benedict XVI resigned, and lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica twice, in some kind of ominous sign. One month later, Francis would emerge on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Benedict XVI was the seventh priest-king of Vatican City, a concept I’ll get to in a moment.

When the Lateran Treaty was signed on Feb 11, 1929, it created a new political entity and a new, monarchical form of government over this new city-state. Upon the ratification of the treaty, Pope Pius XI became the very first priest-king of the newly formed entity of Vatican City.  Prior to the Lateran Treaty, the Popes had no land (it was stolen from them) and thus, the popes could not be considered temporal kings. That changed when Pope Pius XI ratified the Lateran Treaty. There were a total of seven priest-kings of Vatican City, with Benedict XVI being the last one, then he resigned and lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica. Please note that I am not claiming John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, or Benedict XVI were real popes.  I am only claiming they were temporal kings of Vatican City and that they were validly ordained priests.  Likewise, I am not claiming that Pope Pius XI or Pope Pius XII were antipopes.  I am only noting that all seven were both kings and priests. Francis is not a priest-king because he is not a valid priest.  He was “ordained” in the new rite. 

The period between Feb 11, 1929 and Feb 11, 2013 is exactly 84 years, and 1971 (the year that the NO was universally mandated) lies in the middle of these two dates. Half of 84 is 42. If we add 42 and 1971, we arrive at 2013. If we subtract 42 from 1971, we arrive at 1929. Additionally, the period of 84 years constitutes a “week” because 84 is divisible by 7. By dividing 84 years by 7 years we arrive at 12 years. Thus the “final week” is comprised of 7 “days”, with each “day” constituted by 12 actual years. And to add extra significance, that same period from Feb 11, 1929 (when Pope Pius XI became the first priest-king) and Feb 11, 2013 (when Benedict XVI resigned) corresponds exactly to the reign of seven priest-kings. As many are aware, the period of the “seven kings” is significant.

Working backward

It seems likely that we have a “final week” since the Novus Ordo appears at the mid-point. Moreover, this week started with a major treaty that “confirmed the covenant with many”. Now, can we work backward from there to find a decree to “rebuild Jerusalem”? By following the time frame given in the prophecy, we have to go back sixty-nine weeks from 1929 to find this decree. However, where are we to look? Jerusalem seems out of place because, so far, this fulfillment of the prophecy has dealt with events specific to the Catholic Church and Rome. To illustrate, the abomination of desolation in the Old Testament took place in the Temple but in Church history, it took place in our churches. So, instead of looking for a decree to rebuild Jerusalem, perhaps we should look for a decree to rebuild Rome.

To continue with the prophecy, we must go backward a period of sixty-nine weeks from 1929. Sixty-nine “weeks” multiplied by seven (assuming each week is seven years) equals 483 years.  Now we take the date of 1929 and subtract 483 years, arriving at the year 1446. In 1446, Rome was in a state of disrepair. The Avignon papacy and the Papal Schism caused Rome to be neglected. Churches were old and falling down and walls were crumbling.  The First St. Peter’s Basilica, built by Constantine in the 300s, was leaning and slowly collapsing. In 1447, Pope Nicholas V was elected (one year after 1446).  He announced the construction of a new St. Peter’s Basilica and even laid up significant stones to start its construction. He also built up the infrastructure of Rome such as roads, bridges, and walls. In essence, Pope Nicholas V gave the word to build up Rome again. 

Astonishingly, the prophecy seems fulfilled! There is not a greater icon of the Catholic Church in Rome than St. Peter’s Basilica, and the initial announcement of its construction is about as great of a decree to rebuild as we could possibly find. Thus, how can we not say that this prophecy has been fulfilled? It seems that all the major elements are present. Additionally, some of the other aspects of this prophecy also seem to be fulfilled. For example:

1. “After sixty-two weeks, Christ shall be slain” – Because the Holy Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary, then the decree of Paul VI to eliminate the Holy Mass constitutes its “crucifixion” or “death” in metaphor. Recall that this prophecy was told to us to be fulfilled the first time with the coming of Christ and His Baptism and Crucifixion. Thus, it is fitting and poetic that its fulfillment in Church history would include the “death of Christ in the Mass”. The Bible is a Catholic book, and its prophecies point to the Truths of the Catholic Faith. 

2. The prophecy states “there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks: and the street shall be built again, and the walls in straitness of times.” This seems to indicate that after the initial sixty-nine weeks, Rome should be being built up again, but this time in difficult times. That would mean around 1929, we should see this happening. Amazingly, in 1929 and in subsequent years, Benito Mussolini was in the process of remaking Rome into the capital of his new fascist empire.  He was widening the streets and constructing new buildings.  It was the “straitness of times” because Mussolini’s rule was not particularly easy for the Catholic Church and World War II was about to start. 

Conclusion

It seems clear to me that the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is pre-eminently fulfilled in our times, with the Novus Ordo rite being the unholy climax. There is more to this prophecy for which I don’t have a clear answer.  But for me, there are too many correlations, lying outside the realm of statistical probability. And even more important and amazing is that this conclusion is synchronous and confirmatory to our present ecclesial situation. 

Going back to my use of the word “pre-eminent”, I would like to say that I believe there are other fulfillments of this prophecy as well.  For instance, the Anglican schism of Henry VIII is a microcosm of the Second Vatican Council as it shares so many of the same elements.  In both instances, most of the bishops went along with the apostasy. In both instances, it was instigated by an overweight king (Henry VIII and John XXIII). In both instances, the Catholic churches were commandeered for the new, apostate religion. The Cranmer “service” is eerily similar to the Novus Ordo rite. 

Cranmer's new rite, which was an “abomination” that appeared in the “holy places” throughout England, was instituted in the mid-1500s. Amazingly, if you go backward about 483 years (69 weeks multiplied by 7 years), we arrive close to the date of 1070.  It just so happens that the flagship Cathedral of England, the Canterbury Cathedral, was decreed to be rebuilt in 1070. The original structure was built in 597 and was old and falling down. It was time to build a new one.