Contending For The Faith---Part 49

 

In St. Jude 1:3, we read, "Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." [Emphasis mine]. Contending For The Faith is a series of posts dedicated to apologetics (i.e.,  the intellectual defense of the truth of the Traditional Catholic Faith) to be published the first Monday of each month.  This is the next installment.

Sadly, in this time of Great Apostasy, the faith is under attack like never before, and many Traditionalists don't know their faith well enough to defend it. Remember the words of our first pope, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1Peter 3:16). There are five (5) categories of attacks that will be dealt with in these posts. Attacks against:

• The existence and attributes of God
• The truth of the One True Church established by Christ for the salvation of all 
• The truth of a particular dogma or doctrine of the Church
• The truth of Catholic moral teaching
• The truth of the sedevacantist position as the only Catholic solution to what has happened since Vatican II 

In addition, controversial topics touching on the Faith will sometimes be featured, so that the problem and possible solutions may be better understood. If anyone had suggestions for topics that would fall into any of these categories, you may post them in the comments. I cannot guarantee a post on each one, but each will be carefully considered.

The Titles of the Blessed Mother

Christ's Mother is constantly under attack in the godless world and in the Counterfeit Catholicism of the Vatican II sect. On the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, Robert Prevost ("Pope" Leo XIV), signed the document Mater Populi Fidelis ("The Mother of the Faithful People of God"). It was a direct attack on the Mother of God's titles as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Grace. The lies of the Vatican II sect and the truth about the Blessed Mother's titles shall be the subject of this post. 

The Lies of the Vatican II Sect

Mater Populi Fidelis (MPF) has this to say about Mary's title as Co-Redemptrix:

The Second Vatican Council refrained from using the title for dogmatic, pastoral, and ecumenical reasons. Saint John Paul II referred to Mary as “Co-redemptrix” on at least seven occasions, particularly relating this title to the salvific value of our sufferings when they are offered together with the sufferings of Christ, to whom Mary is united especially at the Cross. (See para. #18; Emphasis mine).

On at least three occasions, Pope Francis expressed his clear opposition to using the title “Co-redemptrix,” arguing that Mary “never wished to appropriate anything of her Son for herself. She never presented herself as a co-Savior. No, a disciple.” Christ’s redemptive work was perfect and needs no addition; therefore, “Our Lady did not want to take away any title from Jesus… She did not ask for herself to be a quasi-redeemer or a co-redeemer: no. There is only one Redeemer, and this title cannot be duplicated.” Christ “is the only Redeemer; there are no co-redeemers with Christ.” For “the sacrifice of the Cross, offered in a spirit of love and obedience, presents the most abundant and infinite satisfaction.” While we are able to extend its effects in the world (cf. Col 1:24), neither the Church nor Mary can replace or perfect the redemptive work of the incarnate Son of God, which was perfect and needs no additions. (See para. #21). 

Given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title “Co-redemptrix” to define Mary’s cooperation. (See para. #22). 

MFP has this to say about the venerable title "Mediatrix of All Grace:"

In 1921, Cardinal Mercier, Archbishop of Mechelen — with the scholarly collaboration of the Catholic University of Louvain and the support of the bishops, clergy, and laity of Belgium — petitioned Pope Benedict XV to issue a dogmatic definition of Mary’s universal mediation. However, the Holy Father did not grant this request; he only approved a feast with its own Mass and the Office of Mary Mediatrix. From then until 1950, theological research on this question continued to develop up to the preparatory phase of the Second Vatican Council. The Council did not enter into dogmatic declarations but preferred to present an extensive synthesis “of Catholic doctrine on the place to attribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the mystery of Christ and the Church.” (See para. #23).

The Second Vatican Council’s terminology regarding mediation primarily refers to Christ; it sometimes also refers to Mary, but in a clearly subordinate manner. In fact, the Council preferred to use a different terminology for her: one centered on cooperLumen Gentiumation or maternal assistance. (See para. #27). 

The Elephant in the Room: Ecumenism

The "Dicastery for the Doctrine [Destruction] of the Faith" put out this document (and signed by Prevost) for one reason only: to denigrate the Mother of God in the name of ecumenism. The sect is founded on the false ecclesiology that the Church of Christ is distinct from the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of Christ resides there in its fullness because the Catholic Church has all the "elements" of the Church of Christ, however it can reside in other sects (more or less) according to how many "elements" they possess. To have all the elements is best, but to have only some is just as good and leads to salvation. (See Lumen Gentium, para. #8: This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Savior, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth." This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure.).

From a Protestant commenting on MPF:

While I am not Roman Catholic, in recent years I have held a growing conviction that Roman Catholicism is a great gift to the body of Christ. Wesleyans and Catholics share a theological confluence on sanctification that deserves more attention at popular and congregational levels than it receives. The Second Vatican Council's statement on sanctification in Lumen Gentium stands as one of modern theology's most profound and pastoral reflections on holiness. Surprisingly, Rome's new clarification on Mary offers Wesleyans an unexpected entry point for continuing conversation on holiness. This essay argues that while significant dogmatic differences remain, Mater Populi Fidelis articulates a Mariology that resonates with core Wesleyan theological commitments, particularly Wesley's understanding of cooperation with grace and the social nature of sanctification. (See https://firebrandmag.com/articles/mother-of-the-faithful-a-wesleyan-reading-of-mater-populi-fidelis).

Protestantism hasn't changed. If MPF "resonates with core Wesleyan [Methodist] theological commitments" especially cooperation with grace and the social nature of sanctification, than the Vatican II sect's document is heretical (no surprise there). 

Weighty Theological Arguments for "Co-Redemptrix"

While the title had theological opposition pre-Vatican II, MPF simply glosses over the compelling reasons advanced in favor of the title Co-Redemptrix:

(a) Redemption designates the sum total of meritorious and satisfactory acts performed by Christ while on Earth, offered to the Eternal Father in and through the Sacrifice of the Cross, in virtue of which the Eternal Father was moved (humanly speaking) to reinstate the human race into His former friendship. When we say Mary is Co-Redemptrix of humanity, we mean that together with Christ (although subordinately to Him and and in virtue of His power) She atoned or satisfied for our sins, merited every grace necessary for salvation, and offered Her Divine Son on Calvary to appease the wrath of God, and that as a result of this, God was pleased to cancel our debt and receive us into His former friendship. This co-redemptive role of Mary actually began when She accepted to become the Mother of God by her own free will. 

(b) Pope Benedict XV, in his Apostolic Letter Inter Sodalicia (March 22, 1918), wrote, "To such extent did she (Mary) suffer and almost die with her suffering and dying Son, and to such extent did she surrender her maternal rights over her Son for man's salvation, and immolated Him, insofar as she could, in order to appease the justice of God, that we may rightly say that she redeemed the human race together with Christ."

(c) Pope Pius XI called Our Lady Co-Redemptrix at least six (6) times. In the radio broadcast to the world at the solemn closing of the Jubilee Year which commemorated the Redemption of humanity (April 29, 1935) he prayed, "O Mother of piety and mercy who, when Thy most beloved Son was accomplishing the Redemption of the human race on the altar of the cross, didst stand there both suffering with Him and as a Co-Redemptrix; preserve us we beseech thee, and increase day by day, the precious fruit of His Redemption and of thy compassion."

(d) Pope Pius XII, in his encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam (October 11, 1954) distinguishes Mary's role in the Redemption from her role as Mediatrix of All Grace. 

(e) On November 26, 1951, the entire Cuban hierarchy petitioned Pope Pius XII for a dogmatic definition of Mary as Co-Redemptrix. An entire nation of bishops felt that it could and should be defined.

(f) Just as Adam alone brought sin in the world, yet had the cooperation of Eve, Mary is the Second Eve. Christ alone brought redemption to the world with the cooperation of Mary.

(g)   When the Church teaches Christ alone is our Redeemer, they are referring to the primary, universal, and self-sufficient causality of Christ in the redemptive process which does not exclude Mary's secondary and totally subordinate cooperation which drew all its efficacy from the superabundant merits of her Divine Son. 

(h) Mary was redeemed by Christ, so how could she both receive the effect of redemption and be the cause of it? Because Mary cooperated to redeem all others not herself. Mary was redeemed by God preemptively in the Immaculate Conception, then together with Her Divine Son, she cooperated to redeem all others.

(i) Christ's merits have infinite value, so how can Mary's cooperation add anything to the Passion? Mary did not add (and could not add) anything to Christ's merits. However, God was pleased to accept her satisfaction together with Christ as a fitting way of making her the Second Eve, even as Christ was the Second Adam.

(See theologian Carol's Mariology, [1956] pgs. 56-65)

Seems very Catholic, does it not? However, even more importantly, the title Mediatrix of All Grace was going to be defined by Pope Pius XII.

Mary is the Mediatrix of All Grace

During the days of the last true pope, His Holiness Pope Pius XII, the pontiff had requested some theologians to become part of a commission to survey the world's bishops regarding their opinion on a dogmatic definition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix of All Grace. Anticipating a positive outcome of the poll, the Holy Father also instructed them to prepare a draft of an Apostolic Constitution defining the dogma. Fr. DePauw knew at least two theologians appointed to that commission, and he too, believed that Mary's role as Mediatrix could (and should) be formally defined ex cathedra as a dogma of Divine and Catholic Faith.

Less than a year later, Pope Pius XII died, and Roncalli ("Pope" John XXIII) scrapped the entire project as being "offensive to Protestants." Then there was to be an entire document on the Mother of God at Vatican II. The orthodox theologians in the Preparatory Commission drew up the schemata to be named  DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, AND MOTHER OF MEN. Within it, Mary was defined as Mediatrix of All Grace and Co-Redemptrix. It, too, was relegated to the trash bin by a slim majority of  stalwart Modernist bishops. The final vote to retain the Constitution failed; 1,097  bishops voted to keep the Constitution on the Blessed Virgin Mary, and 1,114 bishops voted to completely eliminate the Constitution altogether. 

(N.B. Below, I have compiled and condensed the Mariology works of theologians Garrigou-Lagrange, Pohle, O'Connell, Neubert, and Carol. I take credit only for condensing the information from these sources. Furthermore, I have avoided, as much as possible, technical theological terminology that would need elaboration. In this way, I hope to make the explanations as easy to understand as possible for the average Traditionalist who has no advanced study in philosophy or theology.---Introibo). 

1.  The Meaning of the Prerogative

Mary is the one through whom all graces are bestowed upon humanity. Just as no one goes to the Father, except through Jesus Christ, so too, no one goes to Jesus except through His Immaculate Mother. By the term "all grace" it is meant just that: all sanctifying grace, actual grace, infused virtues, the Gifts of the Holy Ghost, and all favors in the natural order (insofar as they may help attain eternal life) come to us through Mary. Why do all graces come through Mary? Primarily, because she gave us the author of grace, the God-Man Jesus Christ through her virginal womb. Secondarily, through her participation in her Divine Son's Passion as Co-Redemptrix, she subordinately to Christ and in virtue of His power, cooperated in His redemptive work, and she should therefore have a certain right to cooperate with Him in the distribution of the graces He so merited. 

Protestants will object that the Bible teaches there is but one Mediator between God and humanity; Jesus Christ (See, e.g., 1 Timothy 2:5).  However, while this is true, Mary, as Mother of God and Mother of Men, serves as a bond between people and her Son. Her mediation, far from diminishing or replacing that of Christ, results from His mediation and seems to complete it: it is carried out under Christ and in union with Christ from Whom it receives all its efficacy. 

Mary, by her intersession, allows all graces to flow to humanity throughout all space and time. Those prior to Mary's Assumption received grace in view of the future merits of Our Lady, and since her Assumption, all receive grace through her intercession. This does not mean we must ask for God's grace in Mary's name, but rather, whether she is invoked or not, we get the graces through her intercession. 

2. Holy Scripture indicates this prerogative

In Genesis 3:15 we read, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel." Our Lady is shown as intimately united with Christ in the whole process of redemption. Since the actual dispensation of grace is but an aspect of that whole process, it follows that Mary should be part of it. Mary's intercessory power is seen at the first miracle of Christ wrought at Cana (St. John 2:1-11), and in the sanctification of St. John the Baptist while in the womb of St. Elizabeth (St. Luke 1:41). 

3. Sacred Tradition indicates this prerogative 

There is no exact explicit mention of Mary as the "Mediatrix" in the first few centuries. but the root of the teaching was definitely with the Church Fathers:

St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 339-397) wrote:

Mary was alone when the Holy Spirit came upon her and overshadowed her. She was alone when she saved the world — operata est mundi salutem – and when she conceived the redemption of all — concepit redemptionem universorum.

St. Ephraem of Syria (c. 306-373) called Mary the “dispensatrix of all goods.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444) wrote:

Hail, Mary, Mother of God, by whom all faithful souls are saved.

Mary, as Mediatrix of All Grace, is implicitly revealed in the different titles which Tradition gives Mary—that of Mother of God, most powerful in intercession with her Son, that of the new Eve intimately associated with the Redeemer, that of Mother of all men. Besides, it is a doctrine explicitly and formally affirmed by the morally unanimous consent of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, of preaching throughout the Church, and of the Liturgy. 

4. The Magisterium positively teaches the prerogative through papal pronouncements

We judge nothing more powerful and better for this purpose than by religion and devotion to deserve well of the great Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, who is the treasurer of our peace with God, and the mediatrix  of graces....(Pope Leo XIII, Supremi Apostolatus officio; Emphasis mine).

... it is right to say, that nothing at all of that very great treasury of all grace which the Lord brought us--for 'grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (Jn 1.17)--nothing is imparted to us except through Mary, since God so wills, so that just as no one can come to the Father except through the Son, so in general, no one can come to Christ except through His Mother. (Pope Leo XIII,  Octobri mense; Emphasis mine).

Hence that never dissociated manner of life and labors of the Mother and the Son... . there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother, not merely occupied in looking at the dreadful sight, but even rejoicing that 'her only Son was being offered for the salvation of the human race; and so did she suffer, with Him, that if it had been possible, she would have much more gladly suffered herself all the torments that her Son underwent' (St. Bonaventure I. Sent. d, 48, ad Litt. dub. 4). Now from this common sharing of will and suffering between Christ and Mary, she 'merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world' (Eadmer, De Excellentia Virginis Mariae, 9) and therefore Dispensatrix of all the gifts which Jesus gained for us by His Death and by His Blood.... But Mary as St. Bernard fittingly remarks (De Aquaeductu 4) is the 'channel' or, even, the neck, through which the body is joined to the head, and likewise through which the head exerts its power and strength on the body. 'For she is the neck of our Head, by which all spiritual gifts are communicated to His Mystical Body.' (Pope St. Pius X, Ad diem illum; Emphasis mine). 

For he [St. Dominic] knew well that Mary ... has such influence with her divine Son, that He confers whatever of graces He confers on humans, does so always with her as minister and decision-maker. (Pope Benedict XV, Fausto appetente die; Emphasis mine).

... we know also that all things are imparted to us from God the Greatest and Best, through the hands of the Mother of God. (Pope Pius XI, Ingravescentibus malis; Emphasis mine).

... having been associated, as Mother and Minister, with the King of martyrs in the ineffable work of human Redemption, she is always associated, with a practically measureless power, in the distribution of the graces that derive from the Redemption.... And her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion. (Pope Pius XII, Radio Address to Fatima, May 13, 1946; Emphasis mine). 

Objection: Sacramental graces are effectuated ex opere operato ("by the work worked [done]"). As long as the proper administer uses the correct matter and form, with the intention to do what the Church does, the sacrament will confer grace to any recipient who does not place an obstacle (obex) in the way. Therefore, Mary is not needed, and does not dispense sacramental graces.  

Reply: Mary mediates sacramental grace in two ways. Remotely, she gave us Christ, Who as True God and True Man instituted the sacraments; and sacramental grace was merited by her together with, and subordinately to, Jesus Christ as Co-Redemptrix.  Proximately, to have the very desire to receive the sacraments, and the proper dispositions to do so worthily, are the effects of actual graces which come about only through the intercession of Mary Immaculate. 

Did Vatican II Really Refrain from Using Mary's Titles?

Yes, but for pastoral/ecumenical reasons that were heretical, not for dogmatic reasons as falsely stated by MPF. What really gives the lie to all this Modernist claptrap is the original schema proposed by the orthodox theologians under Cardinal Ottavianni. 

From the schema on the Dogmatic Constitution on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of Men (BVM)

a) The Blessed Virgin Mary is Co-Redmeptrix of the Human Race.

Para. #2: The Word of the eternal Father willed to receive his human nature from a woman so that as

death came from a woman so also life would arise for us from a woman and thus liberation would be accomplished by both sexes

He did not accomplish this, however, until the designated Mother, redeemed in a more sublime way by the foreseen merits of Christ, had given her free acceptance (see Lk 1:38) so that by the incarnation the Son of God would become her Son also and the new Adam and Savior of the world. By this consent Mary, the daughter of Adam, not only became the Mother of Jesus, the one divine Mediator and Redeemer, but with him and under him also joined her work in accomplishing the redemption of the human race. This salvific consent of the Mother of God and thus her participation in the work of redemption lasted from the time of the virginal conception of Jesus Christ until his death; it especially shone forth when, not without the divine plan, she stood by the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), when she powerfully shared her only Son’s, with him and through him with all her heart offered him as the price of our redemption, and when she was given to men as their Mother by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross (see Jn 19:26-27). Because, however, the mystery of human redemption was not completed until the Holy Ghost Christ had promised came on the day of Pentecost, we contemplate Mary in the Cenacle with the Apostles persevering in prayer (see Acts 1:14) imploring by her prayers too the outpouring of the Spirit.

b) The Blessed Virgin Mary is Mediatrix of All Grace.

Para. #3: This humble "handmaid of the Lord," for whom "he who is mighty has done great things" (see Lk 1:49), is called the Mediatrix of all graces because she was associated with Christ in acquiring these graces, and she is invoked by the Church as our advocate and Mother of Mercy, because even now she remains the associate of the glorious Christ in heaven and intercedes for all through Christ so that in the conferral of all graces to men there is present the maternal charity of the Blessed Virgin. But in no way is the mediation of our only Mediator--according to the absolute sense of the words of the Apostle (1 Tm 2:5): "There is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus"--obscured or diminished; indeed this mediation of Christ is extolled and honored. For it is in Christ that Mary is Mediatrix, and her mediation comes, not from any necessity, but from the divine pleasure and from the superabundance and virtue of the merits of Jesus; it rests on the mediation of Christ, entirely depends on it, and obtains its entire force from it.

Conclusion

The assault on the Mother of God continues unabated in both the world and especially in the Vatican II sect. What's most perverse is that Robert Prevost and his merry band of Modernists try to make her denigration look like "devotion" and "faithfulness to Scripture." I don't want to even contemplate what fate awaits them if they do not sincerely repent before death.

Singing For Satan--Special Edition

 

From August 2017 to August 2019, I ran a series of posts exposing the evil in rock, pop, and rap music, and I called the series of posts "Singing For Satan." Although that "first Monday of the month" series ended almost seven years ago, I reserved the right to bring up another post on the topic if I thought any artist(s) not previously covered needed to be exposed or if new developments with those I had covered took place. 

A friend of mine brought my attention to the so-called "27 Club," a group of famous musicians who all thought they would die young, and they all went to Judgement between their 27th and 28th birthdays. I knew of the so-called "club," but he told me something that really intrigued me; he said that all of them had made a pact with Satan for talent and success in return for their soul at an early age. The 27 club began with a man named Robert Johnson, of whom it had been said he couldn't play the guitar at all. He went missing for a couple of days, and he came back playing better than any professional guitarist. The alleged deal had been made.

Or had it? There has been much debunking written about the story of Johnson, and it seemed to show that he was a man looking for a gimmick, and he found one. That, combined with his talent (kept mostly hidden), made him famous. I started to research the lives of those in the club. All of them, yes, every single one, was deep into the occult and had actual references to Satan in their lives. Coincidence? You decide. ---Introibo

The Introduction to the original series of posts:

This week I continue my series of posts regarding an informal study I undertook in the early 1990s regarding rock and pop music. The purpose of my study (and the background to it) can be read in the first installment of August 7, 2017. If you have not read that post, I strongly encourage you to do so before reading this installment. I will only repeat here the seven (7) evil elements that pervade today's music:

1. Violence/Murder/Suicide

2. Nihilism/Despair

3. Drug and alcohol glorification

4. Adultery/ Fornication and sexual perversion

5. The occult

6. Rebellion against lawful superiors

7. Blasphemy against God, Jesus Christ in particular, and the Church

 The exposing of the bands/artists continues.

WARNING!! This post contains material that is vile and probes great evil. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Was There an Actual Deal With the Devil? The "27 Club"

While there has been much written in the wake of the despicable rapper Bad Bunny (b. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in 1994), and his performance at this year's Super Bowl, there is something more interesting that intrigued me. Was the inception of modern music (rock, rap, etc.) derived from an actual deal made with Satan? Even if not true, the information in this post will take you for a wild ride through the history of modern music. (N.B. The contents which follow were taken from many sources, both online and in print. I take no credit for the information herein. All I did was condense it into a terse and readable post.---Introibo).

Robert Johnson (May 8, 1911–August 16, 1938).

In Rosedale, Mississippi, where highways 61 and 49 intersect, stands a crossroads. Some claim that it is at this particular locale where the Delta Blues emerged as a manifest entity in the person and music of blues player Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson was a mediocre player at best—his mentor, Son House, said he “couldn’t play worth a da*n.” Then he vanished. When he returned, his fingers moved like lightning, his sound like fire. People didn’t believe what they heard. They said something had entered him—that he’d come back from that dark midnight meeting with more than music in his hands.

The legend goes that during the 1930s Johnson ventured to the Mississippi crossroads at midnight to make ask the devil to appear to him and strike a deal; Johnson’s eternal soul in exchange for unearthly guitar talents. He is hailed as one of the greatest blues guitarists in the world; and a precursor of rock and roll. There are many who claim (with good evidence) that it was just a gimmick and Johnson milked it for all it was worth. 

That he did. No less than three of Johnson's songs tell the story of the deal he made with Hell. His song Me and the Devil Blues has this to say:

Early this mornin'

When you knocked upon my door

Early this mornin', whoo

When you knocked upon my door

And I said, "Hello, Satan

I believe it's time to go"

Me and the Devil

Was walkin' side by side

Me and the Devil, whoo

Was walkin' side by side

I'm going to beat my woman

Until I get satisfied

She said you don't see why

That you would dog me round

Now baby, you know you ain't doin' me right, don'tcha?

She say you don't see why, whoo

That you would dog me round

It must-a be that old evil spirit

So deep down in the ground

You may bury my body

Down by the highway side

Baby, I don't care where you bury my body when I'm dead and gone

You may bury my body, whoo

Down by the highway side

So my old, evil spirit

Can get a Greyhound bus and ride

(Emphasis mine).

Johnson kept voodoo charms for protection—black cat bones, hot foot powder, conjure magic. He told people he wouldn’t live long. He died howling and with convulsions as he claimed frantically that he heard and saw ferrous huge dogs, hellhounds, coming for him before dying. There is no cause of death listed on Johnson's death certificate. It is believed he was poisoned by the husband of the woman with which he was committing adultery. He was 27 years old. Thus the so-called "27 Club" was born--a group of talented musicians who died aged 27. Whether or not Johnson had made an actual deal with the devil, one thing is certain; all members of the "club" were heavily into the occult. 

Brian Jones (February 28, 1942 – July 3, 1969

One of the founding members of the detestable rock group, The Rolling Stones, Jones was an occultist, as were the other band members. Whereas the glorification of sex by the band was well known, their glorification of Satan was not. Unlike bands such as AC/DC, or artists like Marilyn Manson, they somehow flew under the radar for promotion of Satanism. The 1968 album Beggars Banquet, produced one of the most horrid songs in history; Sympathy for the Devil. The song is listed by Rolling Stone magazine at #32 in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." (The magazine, founded in 1967, attributes its name to the group as well as the Muddy Water's song, and the aphorism "a rolling stone gathers no moss"). Originally, the song was to be titled Fallen Angels, and then changed to The Devil is My Name, before settling on the final nomenclature. It tells the story of history, including the Crucifixion of Our Lord, from Satan's point of view while he boasts of his role in history. 

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man (sic) of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul to waste
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt (sic) and pain
Made da*n sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his (sic) fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made...

The song has been used (without objection) by Satan worshipers associated with Anton LaVey's  Church of Satan. Jones traveled to Morocco to record pagan trance music called The Rites of Pan—ancient rituals invoking the demon goat-god of chaos and lust. The same Pan that Satanist Aleister Crowley identified as Satan in his “Hymn to Pan.” Jones was found dead in his swimming pool at the age of 27, with the cause of death attributed to an enlarged liver and enlarged heart caused by years of heavy drinking and drug abuse.

Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, later admitted he’d warned Brian: “You’ll never make thirty, man.” Brian nodded. “I know.” (See faroutmagazine.co.uk/rolling-stones-keith-richards-predicted-brian-jones-death). 

Jimi Hendricks (November 27, 1942–September 18, 1970)

Considered one of the greatest guitar players in rock and roll history, Jimi Hendrix held a keen interest in spiritism. Kwasi Dzidzornu, a conga player who often played with Hendrix, was from a village in Ghana, West Africa, where his father was a voodoo priest. Hendrix called himself the “Voodoo Child.” One of his hit songs Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) leaves no room for doubt:

Well, I stand up next to a mountain

And I chop it down with the edge of my hand

Yeah

Well, I stand up next to a mountain

And I chop it down with the edge of my hand

Well I pick up all pieces and make an island

Might even raise a little sand

Yeah

Cause I'm a Voodoo Child

Lord knows I'm a Voodoo Child baby...

Hendrix was heavily influenced by astrology, and on several occasions, claimed to be an extraterrestrial.

Tying together these assorted configurations in Jimi’s birth chart is Neptune, the planet of mysticism, escape, drugs and drink. Jimi was hardly alone in being swept away in a drug-induced miasma, but his sense of spirituality was unusually strong. He often described mystic episodes from his boyhood, and identified with the red Indian blood in his veins (even though he was only 1/16th Cherokee) that he felt brought him a shaman’s vision.

Predictably enough, Jimi himself was a devotee of astrology – at his 1970 concert in Hawaii he even invited the audience to divide according to their Sun signs. Listening to his cosmic voyages – to ‘as far away as Jupiter’s sulphur mines’, or to where mountains are chopped down ‘with the edge of my hand’ – one becomes aware of the multi-dimensional realm daily inhabited by Hendrix, with his passion for acid, numerology and space travel.

Yet Jimi remained careless about his earthly life. His horoscope shows no reasons why September 1970 should have spelt out his death. It was a foolish, avoidable accident. But, like he told us, Jimi, the brother from another planet, was only ever passing through. (See neilspencer.com/12-musician-sun-signs/sagittarius-jimi-hendrix/#:~:text=Tying%20together%20these%20assorted%20configurations,1).

The legendary guitar player’s long-term girlfriend Fayne Pridgon shared these worries:

He used to always talk about some devil, something was in him and he didn’t’ have any control over it. He didn’t know what made him act the way he acted and what made him say the things he said and songs and different things like that just come out of him… you know. It seems like to me he was so tormented and so torn apart and he really was He’d talk about us going down to Georgia and obsessed with something really evil. having some root lady drive this demon out of him. (Online recording; Emphasis mine).

Hendrix died at 27 on September 18, 1970, having choked to death on his own vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates.

Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943–July 3, 1971)

James Douglas Morrison (1943-1971) was born in Florida, and was a troubled person his entire life. He embodied the "hippie" counterculture movement of the 1960s. He was a "military brat," the son of a Rear Admiral, and had to relocate around the country. At the age of four, Morrison claims that there was a road accident wherein he witnessed a truck overturn, and there were bodies of Native Americans all over the road bleeding to death. He said the incident always stuck with him, and even influenced his songs. The veracity of the incident is challenged by his own parents and sister. In Morrison's biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, his father claimed they drove past some Native Americans who were in a vehicular accident, and one was crying, upsetting young Morrison. There was no mention of bleeding, dying Native Americans (or "Indians") along the road.  His sister is quoted as saying, "He enjoyed telling that story and exaggerating it. He said he saw a dead Indian [singular--Introibo] by the side of the road, and I don't even know if that's true." (See The Doors:The Illustrated History, [2012], pg. 12). I can't help but wonder if these were lies and exaggerations, or if perhaps young Morrison had a demonic encounter--a foreboding of when he would give himself over to Satan.

Morrison was a voracious reader, and took such notable atheists as Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Camus as his literary and philosophical "heroes." He attended UCLA and graduated in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in cinematography. He lead a bohemian lifestyle, ingesting large amounts of LSD. Fancying himself a "poet," Morrison wrote many poems which would become the lyrics to his songs. He had a chance encounter with Ray Manzarek (d. 2013), a fellow student at UCLA who soon became a close friend. Manzarek was a keyboard player interested in forming a rock band, and he loved Morrison's poems, wanting them to be used as songs. Morrison went along with Manzarek, and the keyboard player also brought in guitarist Robert Kriege (b. 1946), and drummer John Paul Densmore (b. 1944).

The band got its name from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, and it was a reference to the "perceptions" opened up by the members' unceasing use of drugs. Morrison would write the lyrics and sing, and all of them (except for Morrison at the beginning) were into the teachings of the pagan guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (d. 2008). They got their break when they signed a record contract with Elektra Records, and released eight albums in five years. In 1967, the song Light My Fire, would become their first smash hit, selling over one million copies.

The band broke up in 1971 after the mysterious death of Morrison on July 3rd, at the age of 27. The cause of his death was never determined (no autopsy was performed) and lead to the urban legend that (like the late Elvis Presley) Morrison "faked his death." The legend was a powerful one for quite some time. In the 1980s, here in New York City, you would often see graffiti that proclaimed "Jim Morrison Lives."  The Doors sold over 100 million records to date and Rolling Stone magazine lists them as #41 on "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time." They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Morrison never recanted his tale about the dead Indians (Native Americans). Did he perhaps see demons? I believe he did. According to Morrison himself, "The reaction I get now, thinking about it, looking back--is that the souls of the ghosts of those dead Indians...maybe one or two of 'em... were just running around freaking out, and just leaped into my soul. And they're still in there." (See lyrics of The Doors song Fragile Eggshell Mind). The biography Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison[1991], has Doors producer Paul Rothchild quoted as saying, "...(the) spirit entered Jim's body. That was the pivotal event of his life. He always viewed himself as the shaman, having mystical powers..." (pg. 193; Emphasis mine). A shaman is a pagan "witch doctor" who uses drugs and forms of meditation designed to reach altered states of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the "spirits" (i.e., demons). The shaman will then channel them to ostensibly help others, but ultimately lead these souls to perdition. Morrison and The Doors did this, not in some isolated part of Africa or Asia, but to the masses of Catholics; especially in Europe and America. 

This experience manifested itself in Morrison the singer during his shows when he would often "channel" a Native American shaman on stage, performing Indian dances and chanting. You can see him screaming and dancing like a shaman here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihn8ldJsfgQ. (You will also notice him sporting what appears to be a cross--what sacrilege!). The song The Soft Parade claims prayer to God is useless and you should "slay a few animals at the crossroads"--a reference to a Satanic ritual. 

When I was back there in seminary school
There was a person there
Who put forth the proposition
That you can petition the Lord with prayer
Petition the Lord with prayer
Petition the Lord with prayer
You cannot petition the lord with prayer...

You gotta meet me
Too late, baby
Slay a few animals
At the crossroads
Too late

The song Break On Through encourages the listener to "break on through to the other side." It has a double meaning. It encourages necromancy (condemned by the Church and in the Bible), and according to Morrison, "I like ideas about the breaking away or overthrowing of established order. I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that seems to have no meaning."

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run, tried to hide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Chased our plea here
Dug our trea there
Still recall, time we cried
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through, yeah
All right
Everybody loves my baby
Everybody loves my baby
She get
She get
She get
She get high

His demons made use of the other band members. According to Break On Through (cited above) Morrison's friend and keyboard player, Manzarak said, "Fifteen thousand people would be hushed, stopped, not even breathing. Man, when I was on stage with the guy (Morrison), I don't know who was playing the organ. Sure, it was my fingers, but..." (pg. 187; Emphasis mine). From No One Gets Out Alive (cited above) we read: "It was like Jim was an electric shaman, and we were the electric shaman's band, pounding away behind him. It would take him over...You could see every once in a while--twitch--I could hit a chord and make him twitch. And he'd go off again." (pgs. 159-160).

Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943-October 4, 1970)

Janis Joplin was a legendary American singer and a defining voice of 1960s psychedelic rock and blues, renowned for her raw, emotionally charged, and powerful vocals. She is sometimes referred to as the "first female rock star. Although raised in a Protestant household, her sister Laura remembered that in high school, Janis developed “an interest in the religion of voodoo,” passed to her by their family’s maid, Theresa. She would give herself over to the demonic.

Onstage, she became something more than a singer. Biographer Ann Angel called her “our shaman woman”—a performer whose sets felt like possession. She wrapped herself in voodoo amulets and feathers and branded her music the Kozmic Blues.  She consulted astrologers and was dubbed the Cosmic Witch—because audiences felt what she conjured: a voice like a spell, the presence of the demonic. (See Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing, [2010]). 

Just months before her death, she wrote home: “I managed to pass my—gasp—27th birthday.” 

(See pbs.org/newshour/arts/theres-more-to-janis-joplin-than-tragedy). 

On October 1, 1970, she recorded “Mercedes Benz.” The next song scheduled was titled “Buried Alive in the Blues.” She never made it to the microphone. Three days later, an alcoholic and drug addict, Joplin would die from a heroin overdose compounded by alcohol. Since her death, many occultists (including those who dabble in the occult) go to the hotel (Landmark Motor Hotel) where she died in an attempt to make contact with her. 

According to one source, at least one man believes he encountered "Janis Joplin:"

 Many fans, budding musicians, paranormal investigators and morbid curiosity seekers have stayed in the room, gotten drunk on Southern Comfort (Janis’ favorite liquor), set up altars, consulted Ouija boards, burned candles, composed songs, tried to record her ghostly voice (EVPs), attempted to photograph her reported materializations, and then written messages to her on the wall inside the walk-in closet. These messages, drawings, postings, etc. have been preserved as a sort of memorial to Janis, along with a plaque placed there by the hotel management.

I have stayed at the Highland Gardens many times since the early 80s and on one occasion, with my wife, asked to see room 105. Very spooky. We decided not to take the room.

Instead, we picked a room we had stayed in before on the second level of the courtyard overlooking the pool. Sometime after midnight, I went out onto the balcony to have a cigarette. When I opened the sliding glass door, I heard a sort of hollow singing echoing down below…just a half recognizable, raspy female voice…no instruments…it was not a radio or TV.

(See badwitch.es/janis-joplin-la-bruja-kosmica). 

Amy Winehouse (September 14, 1983--July 23, 2011

Winehouse was a Jewish singer and songwriter, who sang an eclectic mix of R&B and jazz. Winehouse was an alcoholic and deeply in the occult. In October 2008, a video captured Winehouse in a London studio ranting that the devil was making her take drugs. She was reportedly frustrated, broke her guitar, and was in a state of distress. 

(See upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/10/16/Winehouse-blames-drug-use-on-Satan/54291224169501/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20Daily%20Telegraph%20article%2C%20Amy,a%20recording%20session%20for%20Winehouse's%20third%20album)

She often told friends and her mother, “I think I’m going to die young.” Her assistant said, “She knew she’d join the 27 Club.” She learned the occult from her grandmother who taught her to use Tarot cards. Winehouse was obsessed with her mortality. According to one source:

There was a less conventional dimension to the spell her grandmother cast on Amy: Cynthia was a keen Tarot card reader. Amy inherited her grandmother's belief in the power of Tarot: she was often seen with a pack of Tarot cards in her hand and when asked if she believed her grandmother could read the future, Amy nodded solemnly and said "Cynthia knew..."

Given the reckless, fatalistic way Amy began to behave in the aftermath of Cynthia's death, the question arises: had something she had read in the cards disturbed her? There are hints in the grave mood and lyrics of her second album to suggest that she believed she was doomed. In the titular Back To Black, Amy sang about her "odds being stacked" and in Love Is A Losing Game she lamented receiving a "losing hand".

Meanwhile, she became obsessed with her own mortality. The video for her single Back To Black featured her at a funeral. When television presenter Simon Amstell asked her what had happened to the more wholesome Amy of the Frank era, she replied: "She's dead". Friends and colleagues confirm that death became a subject of increased conversational interest to Amy.

(See https://theweek.com/people-news/amy-winehouse/1473/does-amys-grandmother-hold-key-her-death).

Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967---April 5, 1994)

Kurt Cobain and his group Nirvana are considered one of the most (if not the most) influential musicians of the 20th century. Nirvana has been called "The Beatles of the 90's," and Cobain "The John Lennon of the 90's." Just like The Beatles and Lennon, they are anti-Christian and spread an evil message. Cobain formed the band with high school friend Chris Novoselic (b. 1965) who played bass, and they recruited Dave Grohl (b. 1969) to play drums. The band was originally to be called Fecal Matter, but Cobain decided on "Nirvana," the pagan Hindu and Buddhist concept of a release from reincarnation, where your individuality is "blown out" like a candle. 

Around the age of 13, he became a frequent drug abuser, and became full fledged heroin addict by 1986. He penned songs full of despair and misery, echoing the state into which he had gotten himself. Cobain then turned to Satan worship as a way out and achieve respect and success. According to biographer Christopher Sandford, Cobain made it known publicly that his stated goal was to "get stoned and worship Satan" (See Kurt Cobain, Carroll & Graff Publishers, Inc., New York, 1997, pg. 42). 

Cobain was an admitted bisexual, and he would desecrate churches with Novoselic. According to Sandford, he spray-painted "GOD IS GAY" on the side of a Church and he would take song lyrics he was dissatisfied with and set them on "...fire and leave [them] burning on the porch of the Open Bible Church." Rolling Stone magazine reports he spray-painted "ABORT CHRIST" on the side of a church. In that same article, it is stated that "Cobain made a satanic-looking doll and hung it from a noose in his window." (April 16, 1992 issue). His biographer confirms that Cobain decorated his apartment with "baby dolls hanging by their necks with blood all over them," and he sported a most blasphemous decapitated statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Kurt Cobain, pgs. 54 & 89). 

That a man this depraved could be seen as a "hero" and the anniversary of his suicide "commemorated" demonstrates the depths to which our society has sunk. Unfortunately, Cobain's degeneracy doesn't stop with sick and sacrilegious acts. He became involved with witchcraft and began casting spells. He met occultist author William Burroughs, a whore-monger and bisexual pervert whose book Naked Lunch (1959) was so perverse that it went to court as it was considered a violation of the U.S. anti-sodomy laws. Burroughs "accidentally" killed his wife in Mexico while drunk and "playing William Tell" with a pistol in 1951. He was convicted of manslaughter and spent time in prison. Burroughs had such an influence on Cobain that, "William S. Burroughs received ‘special thanks’ on In Utero [Nirvana's third album] for being a cherished inspiration to Cobain."(See Chuck Chrisafulli, Teen Spirit, Simon & Schuster, pg. 6 [1996]). 

Cobain was obsessed with Church of Satan founder, and author of the Satanic Bible, Anton LeVay.  He wanted LeVay to play cello on Nirvana's first album, but for reasons unknown, it never happened. It was through his involvement with witchcraft leading to Satanism that Cobain's inspiration for songs came via "automatic writing." This is a process by which a person's hand moves without them consciously controlling it. Demons are thus channeled. According to the Rolling Stone interview, Cobain was "...stumbling on melodies by means he himself didn’t fully understand." 

On April 5, 1994, Cobain went home and shot himself in the head with a shotgun. His suicide note was addressed to his "invisible friend" named "Bodda." He complained that "his muse had gone south." Typically, Satan gives you power only to take it away and leave you in despair. Despite having a wife and child, his music was the only thing he really cared about and it made him want to live; now it was seemingly gone, and he took his life at age 27. He thought of the false idea of reincarnation, "If you die you’re completely happy and your soul somewhere lives on. I’m not afraid of dying. Total peace after death, becoming someone else is the best hope I’ve got." Having gone to judgement, Kurt Cobain knows the truth, and he's not someone else.

Conclusion

There are more people in the "27 Club," but these are the biggest names. ALL of the musicians in the so-called club were into the occult and some openly called on Satan. Robert Johnson claimed to have made a deal with the devil, and it is dismissed as a "legend" he used to help his career. Were his songs about a deal with Satan mere hype, or was it a confession? Could there be more than coincidence at work? You have the facts. I'll let you, my readers, decide for yourselves. 

Public Scandals From Private Revelations

 

I don't get to comment in the depth I would like to recently, with my life being extraordinarily busy as of late. I learn from my readers and love reading their comments. Recently there have been comments about the truth of approved apparitions (e.g., Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima) and other private revelations. The purpose of my post this week is three-fold: (1) give some general principles to apply; (2) apply said principles to approved and unapproved private revelations; (3) demonstrate that private revelations must not replace Church teaching or be given undue emphasis. I have dubbed those who exalt private revelations to the detriment of the Faith as "Apparitionists." 

(N.B. I have used numerous online and print resources in the making of this post. Of special note: Foley, Understanding Medjugorje: Heavenly Visions or Religious Illusion? (2006), Laurentin & Ljudevit, Is the Virgin Mary Appearing at Medjugorje (1988), and The Mystery of Garabandal [2015] by L.R. Walker. ---Introibo). 

In this age of the Great Apostasy, many Traditionalists will (unfortunately) abandon the approved theologians of the Church for private revelations. It is imperative that we learn the Faith, and not what passes for the "Faith" in some quarters. Certain people don't even understand basic terminology. "Public" and "private" revelation do not refer to how many people the revelation was given, but rather whether or not it is part of the Deposit of Faith to which we must assent. The Deposit of Faith, given by Jesus Christ to His One True Church, ended with the death of the last Apostle (St. John) in 100 A.D. That marks the end of public revelation. The Church has authority to make solemn pronouncements on what is contained in this revelation, and the faithful must give assent under pain of mortal sin and expulsion from the Mystical Body by heresy (e.g. It is part of the Deposit of Faith that Christ gave exactly seven (7) sacraments to His Church).

 Private revelation is given by God after the close of public revelation to certain individuals (usually saints or people considered to be such). If a private revelation is approved by the Church, it means that it does not contradict matters of Faith and/or morals. It is worthy of belief, but you can deny it outright and not be a heretic. You also commit no sin of disbelief, provided your lack of faith in a particular approved revelation does not stem from disdain of ecclesiastical authority. 

This does not mean that private revelations are "useless." Obviously, if the Church approves something as worthy of belief, we can believe it without fear of sinning against faith or morals. God communicates to us for a reason. However, I refuse to get drawn into arguments over what a particular apparition or a particular revelation "really means." Moreover, it is by studying the approved theologians that we can learn the One True Faith and make our Catholic way the best we can through these most difficult times. To be certain, I believe in approved apparitions without making them the focus point of faith. I have devotion to Our Lady of Hope and Our Lady of Fatima. I wear the Five-fold Scapular, pray the Rosary daily, insert the "Fatima Prayer" at the end of each Rosary decade, have devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and try to attend Mass every First Saturday of the month. These are great Catholic devotions all Traditionalists should try to maintain. I do not view "Consecrating Russia" as some panacea to the Great Apostasy. Nor will I quibble over specific sayings Our Lady is supposed to have said.

While non-approved revelations should be avoided like the plague, even those which are approved can be misunderstood or have the message corrupted since Church approval does not entail any kind of infallible (or even authoritative) teaching. An example is the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. The late "Fr" Gruner made a business out of peddling dire predictions for the world. I have material of his dating back to the late 1980s claiming "we only have a couple of years left" unless the "pope" (John Paul II) consecrates Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That never happened and more than 20 years have passed since Wojtyla went to Judgement without any calamity taking place. Of course this never prevented Mr. Gruner from asking for the largest donation you could give as he shamelessly continued to predict the sky would fall "very shortly."

 According to another prediction of Fatima, "Portugal will never lose the Faith." One need only take a look at the present day European country to see that it has rejected the Faith for Vatican II, and has promulgated many evil "laws" such as murdering babies by abortion. There are no more Traditionalists there (in sheer number or proportionately) than in any other neo-pagan State. I do believe Our Lady appeared in Fatima to three children, but I refuse to try and discern "true" from "false" messages, or listen to all the conspiracy theories involved. Holding on to the Faith will save us, not private revelations--especially ones laced with fearful consequences for those who refuse to propagate those messages.

 Some General Principles About Private Revelations

As explained by theologian Volksen in detail, and reproduced by me in outline form, some of the pertinent criteria in discerning private revelations are:

1. Every revelation must be rejected a priori if its context is opposed to Church teaching. In places where the Scripture speaks most explicitly of the discernment of spirits and where it urges Christians to "try the spirits if they be of God," it gives only one criterion which is of a doctrinal nature. "By this the spirit of God is known: every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: and every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God." (1 John 4: 2-3). That must be understood as teaching that every private revelation which does not confess Christ as God, and in anyway derogates ("dissolveth") Him by rejecting the teaching of His One True Church, is not of God and must be rejected.

2. A medical examination of all seers should be had to determine physical and psychological soundness. If the seers are healthy in mind and body, this constitutes support for a favorable judgement. If it can be established that the seer(s) showed all the symptoms of hysteria or other mental illness when receiving the revelations, a favorable judgement cannot be reached.

3. The seers should have deep humility (not seeking self-glorification), be obedient to proper ecclesiastical authority, and have fortitude. Fortitude is necessary, as the seer(s) will be pressured to recant and in many cases persecuted/threatened (e.g., St. Bernadette and the three children of Fatima). While they need not be saints, they should display innocence and piety.

4. The revelations must be of a serious nature and not frivolous or overly concerned with mundane things.

5. Any indication of natural explanations and/or fraud must be ruled out to allow for a supernatural character.

(See Visions, Revelations, and the Church [1961] by theologian Volken). 

N.B. While an approved private revelation may be disbelieved, it is not contrary to Faith and Morals, and may not be attributed to demonic activities or Satanic origin.

If there is a true pope, when he approves an apparition as "worthy of belief," we cannot declare it the work of Satan. You can choose not to believe at all, but that's foolish. The pope is protected by the Holy Ghost from giving error and evil to the Church. Error and evil is all the devil works for, so that nothing that comes from the devil can ever have papal approval; the Holy Ghost would prohibit it. 

The Meaning and Role of Private Revelations

Definition of Private Revelation and Its Usefulness

According to theologian Volken, a private revelations are heavenly and verbal manifestations of the Divine Will made to man in an extraordinary way in order to direct human activity in a particular situation of life of private persons or of humanity in general. Theologian Volken goes on to explain what this definition means in detail. Heavenly refers to the agent(s) which must be either an intermediary of God such as angels, saints, the Blessed Mother, or God Himself, as was the case with Christ's revelations regarding His Most Sacred Heart. 

Verbal manifestations means that it cannot be purely visual; something audible either to the human ear or directly to the brain must be heard. Divine Will designates the object of the revelations. The subject of the revelation is Man whether that is a singular person, several people, children, adults, clerics, laymen, etc. The manifestation is made in an extraordinary way to the recipient, not through the Magisterium.  Direct human activity in a particular situation of life means that God intervenes to help either a private person(s) or humanity in general to do something beneficial to eternal salvation given the current situation in the world. Hence, Christ sent His Mother to the children at Fatima to warn humanity about the reality of Hell (the belief in which had begun to wane substantially) and introduce devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart as a special spiritual remedy. (See Visions, Revelations, and the Church [1961], pgs. 231-233). 

Volken reminds us that private revelations "cannot commit the Church or the Divine and Catholic Faith which has for its object the unaltered mysteries, revealed once for all time." (Ibid, pgs. 232-233). In other words, they are not part of the Deposit of Faith, and no private revelation, including those deemed "worthy of belief" by the Church, need to be accepted by Catholics. 

How Private Revelations are Abused

Volken hits the nail on the head, I believe, as to why Catholics become obsessive over private revelations. The more precious a good thing is, the more dangerous is its abuse. And revelations are a very precious things for they help us to conform our lives to the plan which God has for us in a particular situation. They are equally precious because of the way in which they act upon men. They come as a surprise and engage Man's feelings and his attention in such a way that they are effective in cases where other methods would not be. 

It is chiefly here that abuses creep in. Normally speaking, Man loves change (varietas delectat). He flees from the boredom that comes from the monotony of the actions of ordinary life. He feels the need for some new experience, some event, some sensation. In the spiritual life especially, in those periods of dryness when it becomes necessary to live by pure faith, the danger of abusing revelations is great. There are Christians who have an irresistible need to feel, to see, if possible, something staggering.  (Ibid, pgs. 257-258; Emphasis in original). This love of change and drive to experience something unique often will cause people to believe anyone who claims to have a private revelation, and it makes it equally interesting for them to try and "discern the true meanings" of approved private revelations, e.g., what did the Blessed Mother really mean when she said Portugal will always keep the Faith during her appearance at Fatima, etc. 

Another lure of private revelations is the idea of "get holy fast" spirituality that is wrongly attributed to devotions that emanate from such revelations.  As I stated above, I believe in the apparitions at Fatima. I wear the Five-Fold Scapular, have devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray the Rosary daily (adding the Fatima prayer at the end of each decade), and attend the First Saturday Mass whenever I can. These devotions are meant to be things that will bring us closer to God and His Mother, and I recommend them all to Traditionalists. However, there are those who treat these devotions incorrectly and in a superstitious manner. Some think that as long as they wear the Scapular and go to the Five First Saturdays, they can live like heathens, commit mortal sin with impunity, and they will go to Heaven because they have turned the devotion into some "license to sin." 

Principles Applied to False Private Revelations

Garabandal. An alleged apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to four young girls from 1961-1965. The girls were Mari Loli Mazon (b. 1949 – d. 2009), Jacinta Gonzalez (b.1949), Mari Cruz Gonzalez (b.1950) and Maria "Conchita" Concepción Gonzalez (b.1949). 

The main message from "Mary" was this:

We must make many sacrifices, perform much penance, and visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently. But first, we must lead good lives. If we do not, a chastisement will befall us. The cup is already filling up, and if we do not change, a very great chastisement will come upon us.

There are predicted three great events that will befall humanity:

• The Great Warning, when all living people will see their sins, as if reflected in a mirror, and will understand what they must do to repent
• The Great Miracle, which will take place within one year of the Great Warning. It will leave a permanent sign in Garabandal, which can be seen and photographed, but not touched or explained by science
• The Great Chastisement, which is something horrible that will befall the world if humanity does not properly respond to the Warning and Miracle.

Nothing overtly heretical, but upon examination, much is wrong with both the events that surrounded said messages, and the so-called "seers" themselves.

Disturbing Events:

• When they went into "ecstasy" and had visions, they were bent over backwards and walked that way so quickly, many of the villagers had a hard time keeping up by running forwards.

• The “Virgin” asked that the girls not bring blessed sacramentals [rosaries, crucifixes, etc.], because she wanted to bless these objects herself. The vision is reported to have blessed and kissed hundreds of objects, such as pebbles, which were treated as "sacramentals." This is troubling for two reasons: first, because only blessed sacramentals affect the devil and fallen angels; second, the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a priest and therefore she cannot confer a priestly blessing--especially upon mundane objects like pebbles.

• At the death of Roncalli (John XXIII), many people wished the Council to end. Conchita said that she knew that the next "pope" would continue the Council, and she was happy about it.

• Conchita reportedly said the Blessed Mother "played hide and seek" with her.

• All four children signed a document with the Vatican II bishop agreeing with the findings of the Vatican II sect and promising never to promote the apparitions again. Does that sound like something real seers would do? The children at Fatima refused to retract what they had seen and heard even when an evil man threatened to kill them unless they did so. The girls at Garabandal later retracted their retraction. 

• Two of the seers, Mari-Loli and Jacinta went into the woods on the edge of town. They went into ecstasy on their knees and they shouted to "Mary," --"Don't tell us these things!" They then screamed all night in such a terrifying manner that the whole village was up and afraid to approach them. The other two seers remained in the village. This went on the following night. Consider this: What could be more frightening than seeing Hell? Yet when the three children at Fatima were shown Hell by the Blessed Mother, there was no screaming. And why would the Blessed Mother inflict such fear for two whole nights? I can only imagine how frightening seeing little girls bent backwards in the woods at night screaming at the sky with unearthly sounds for hours must be.

• The Garabandal messages acknowledge the validity of Vatican II, the false religion it created, and its false popes.

Serious Problems with the "Seers:"

• The apparitions began when the girls were committing mortal sin by stealing apples

• The children would often open their mouths and stick out their tongues while St. Michael the Archangel would give them "invisible Holy Communion." To end the incredulity of some, Conchita claimed God would prove this was true. On July 18, 1962, during a nighttime ecstasy, there is film footage of what appears to be a Communion Host appearing on Conchita's tongue which she then consumes. Conchita reportedly admitted to Father J. Pelletier that she herself had stolen the Host from the tabernacle of the Church and placed It on the roof of her mouth, letting It drop down on her tongue for the so-called "mystical Communion." 

•  In 1966 Conchita wanted to enter the Carmelite Convent in Pamplona. "Jesus" told her to go back to the world (!) 

• Two of the "seers" admitted to hiding a statue of the Blessed Mother in the woods so they could claim Mary told them where to go and find it. They did this (allegedly) because they were jealous that "Mary" talked to Conchita the most.

• Where are the seers today? Mari Loli Mazon came to the United States and lived in New Hampshire until her death in 2009, just before turning 60 years old. Jacinta González became Jacinta Moynihan and lives with her husband and daughter in California. Mari Cruz González lives in Aviles, Spain with her husband and four children. Conchita made a museum of her house in Garabandal. She has since sold that house and owns a house in New York with her husband and a flat in Fatima as well. Compare that with St. Bernadette in Lourdes. Conchita (like the others) all attend the Vatican II sect. Sadly, Conchita lives within an hour of the SSPV, SSPX, and Fr. DePauw's Ave Maria Chapel, none of which she will attend, because she fully accepts Vatican II.

Medjugorje.  The alleged apparitions began on June 24, 1981 in the small town of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The "seers" were four boys and two girls; to wit: Mirjana Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Ivanka Ivankovic and Jakov Colo. Three were born in 1965, one in 1964, one in 1966, and one in 1971. According to the official website medjugorje.org: The BVM has come there "In Her own words She tells us, 'I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God'"

Problems with the "Gospa" ("Our Lady") and the Messages

• Ivan claimed that the hands of the Gospa "trembled." This is clearly out of character for the serene Queen of Heaven, and she was not making a point about something; e.g., how people will tremble with horror for their sins, etc. That was simply how he perceived her.

• The Gospa said nothing at the beginning of her appearances. Then she would merely answer questions from the visionaries. This is a complete departure from all approved apparitions whereby Mary had a mission and was never there for a "question and answer" session.

• The visionaries claimed to be able to "kiss and touch" the Gospa, while she "laughed." In approved apparitions, Mary has occasionally been said to smile, but not laugh, nor was she "kissed and touched." (reminiscent of  Garabandal above where the phony seers said Mary "played hide and go seek.") 

• It is asserted that one of the visionaries sprinkled the Gospa with Holy Water to make sure she wasn't a demon in disguise. Later, Vicka claimed it was only ordinary water but "contained some blessed salt."

• Unlike all approved apparitions, the Gospa of Medjugorje appeared only gradually out of some orbs of light (sometimes a "blue mist"), as if she were composed of it. By contrast, in approved apparitions, Mary appears immediately with any light being totally distinct from her. 

• The Gospa would "bless" the religious objects from pilgrims (as the visionaries collected donations), and impart to the six a "special grace" they could then give unto others. Only priests can bless religious objects, and Mary is not a priest. Imparting "special grace" (whatever that means) to have the six visionaries impose hands and pass it on sounds like an imitation sacrament from ersatz "priests" and "priestesses"

• The Gospa would "burst into spontaneous laughter"

• The Gospa would recite the Our Father with the visionaries. This is heretical and blasphemous to suggest. How could Mary ask God to "forgive us our trespasses" when she is without stain of sin?

• Why is it taking more than 40 years--with no end in sight--for the Gospa to reveal her message to the world? Mary always gave a message in a short time in all approved apparitions. Whereas Fatima had three secrets given in less than a year, the Gospa has sixty (60) to give, and most of the content is virtually unknown to this day. 

No Saintly Seers Here

• Unlike the seers of approved apparitions, the visions began with disobedient and sinful teenagers. Only one (Jakov Colo) was a true child at the time, being ten years of age. The average age of an approved seer is eleven, and those who were older led virtuous lives like St. Catherine Laboure, who was a holy nun of 24 when the Immaculate Virgin started appearing to her. These false "visionaries" (as they called themselves) were materialistic, disinterested in religion, and corrupted by the influences of the world in the 1980s

• The first vision was allegedly seen by Mirjana (age 16) and Ivanka (age 17) when they saw a light which Ivanka claimed to be the Gospa. What were these two young teenage girls doing prior to this event? They had each stolen cigarettes from their father and went to smoke and listen to evil rock music. (Similar to the false apparition of Garabandal where the seers had stolen apples prior to the first "vision") 

• It was claimed, on reliable testimony, that Mirjana both used drugs and gave them to others

• The visionaries were caught in numerous discrepancies ("lies") about various aspects of their experiences. They also claimed they were oblivious to anything when in "ecstasy" watching the Gospa

• When in an "ecstasy" staring at the ceiling of the church where the Gospa was present (1985), a pilgrim named Jean-Louis Martin, was able to get near and went close to Vicka's eye with his finger as if to poke her. She jerked her head back and ran out of the room. She came back to explain that it wasn't the finger of Martin that made her move her head and run away, it was the impression she got that the Gospa was about to drop the Infant Jesus she was holding. God can't "fall," and Mary can't "drop the Divine Child." The very idea is manifestly absurd. In addition, none of the other visionaries thought this was happening. The discrepancy was never explained. Their "spiritual director"  had the "apparition room" of the church closed to the public after that day

• Threats: Ivan said in a letter to the Vatican II sect "bishop" who was refusing to approve the apparitions, that the Gospa demanded his "immediate conversion" and that he should stop emphasizing the "negative side" of Medjugorje (how could a visitation of Mary have anything "negative"?), otherwise she and her Son would punish him.

• Vicka had frequent headaches and blackouts. In the opinion of the medical authorities who examined her, it was the result of an "hysterical stupor" and a psychologically unhealthy need of attention. Not only was she deemed psychologically unstable, she was ignorant of basic religious truths, such as the significance of the Annunciation. Yet we are to believe Mary appeared to her on a daily basis.

• When their "spiritual director," the invalidly ordained "Fr." Vlasic, wanted to start a "mixed-sex religious community" in 1987, Mirija said the Gospa approved of such an abomination. The V2 priest started it with a woman named Agnes Heupel. When the Vatican II sect "bishop" ordered it closed, Marija retracted her statement in a writing in which she stated, "My first statement (about approval from the Gospa)...does not correspond to the truth" (Letter of July 11, 1988; Emphasis mine). Her change of heart might be explained by the fact that Vlasic and Heupel shared a room together which was locked at night. It is rumored that Mirija caught the couple having sex and didn't want the Medjugorje events damaged by such a revelation. Hence, her prior and clearly articulated approval (which came from Mary) was somehow "misunderstood" and not a lie

• Unlike the seers of approved apparitions, none of the six visionaries became nuns, priests, or brothers. They were worldly and made huge sums of money off those with a dangerous desire for the miraculous. All kinds of "relics," religious articles, books, and even tours of Medjugorje made them opulent. The promoters of Medjugorje stated on the official website, "I know Marija, Vicka, and Ivan all seriously considered a religious vocation, but after much prayer, they discerned that their vocation was married life. We should not consider the decision to be parents and to bring life into the world a less important or holy vocation than a religious vocation."  (Emphasis mine) Compare the infallible decree of Trent: On Matrimony: CANON X.-If any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed above the state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united in matrimony; let him be anathema. It was also stated on the official website: "Ivanka was the first to decide that her calling was married life, and asked for Our Lady's blessing. Our Lady joyfully gave Ivanka her blessing, and added that she had chosen the harder path for her life." (Emphasis mine). 

• Today, the visionaries live in mansions with double garages and security gates, and one even has a private tennis court. They drive fancy cars (BMWs)  go on frequent and expensive foreign trips, and all have married. Ivan married a former Miss Massachusetts, Loreen Murphy, a beauty queen who dresses immodestly. He is obese (so much for frequent fasting); and this, by the way, is "the harder path for [their] life." 

Principles Applied to an Approved Private Revelation

Fatima. Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta and Francisco Marto were the three young Portuguese shepherds Our Lady of Fatima appeared to in 1917. Our Lady emphasized prayer, penance, the Rosary, Scapular, and the devotion of the First Five Saturdays. There was nothing contrary to Faith or Morals. 

There were no problems with the messages or seers, all three of whom gave evidence of great sanctity. Both Francisco and Jacinta predicted their early deaths. They accepted much suffering and an early death to make sacrifices for sinners and to appease God. Lucia became a very holy nun. 

You need not believe in Fatima, but there is great evidence that something supernatural happened, and it was given papal approval in 1940 by Pope Pius XII. There are those who attack it as "of the devil" which is blasphemous and impossible, since the Holy Ghost would protect the Holy Father from approving as "worthy of belief" anything that comes from Hell. To claim that Fatima is from Hell would be an indirect denial of the Indefectibility of the Church--i.e., the Church cannot give that which is evil or erroneous to Her members. If, ad arguendo, the apparition at Fatima didn't happen, it didn't produce anything contrary to Faith and Morals. Yet, it if came from Satan, there would have to be things contrary to Faith and/or morals, because the adversary of mankind does not do anything for our benefit. 

One of the most disturbing and reprehensible attacks I've heard was that occultists predicted the apparitions at Fatima. A commenter repeated that contention in a recent post (he claimed he heard about it, not that he claimed it was true). The source of the occult claim originates with a blasphemous article entitled  "Why Pay Any Attention To Fatima?" (See https://www.cogwriter.com/FatimaShock2Chapters.pdf). 

The source of the article is the website cogwriter.com, by Dr. Bob Thiel. Thiel was originally part of the "Worldwide Church of God"(WCG) sect, run by Herbert W. Armstrong (d. 1986). "Armstrongism" was an eclectic mix  of mainline Protestantism and Seventh Day Adventist teachings, along with what Armstrong himself would say as the self-declared "Prophet of God on Earth." WCG teachings included the necessity of observing Mosaic dietary laws to be saved, denial of the Most Holy Trinity, avoidance of doctors and medicine, observing Saturday as the Sabbath, and denial of divorce (of course, when Armstrong wanted a divorce, that teaching changed, and he also went to doctors and took medicine while prohibiting his followers from doing it, living to the age of 93).  

After Armstrong's death, many new sects came from dissatisfaction among his high-ranking members, one such being the aforementioned Bob Thiel. Thiel founded the "Continuing Church of God" or "CCG." His sect rejects the Holy Ghost as God, and has many strange teachings similar to Armstrong.

(See ccog.org/statement-of-beliefs-of-the-continuing-church-of-god/). 

The article, Why Pay Any Attention To Fatima? (hereinafter WPATF), doesn't list an author. It appears to be a chapter of a book, but I could not locate it. The fact that it appears on a website run by Thiel means either (a) he is the author, or (b) he approves the content as it is on his site. He appears to be the author since you will find a short bio and picture of him on the last page. There is no mention of his religious affiliation.  I knew something was off prior to finding out this information. For example, the article claims that the apparition could not be "the Mary of the Bible." Also used to describe her are the phrases "Mother of Jesus," and once "Mother of Christ" but never the Mother of GOD, Our Blessed Mother, and other distinct Catholic titles. The article informs us:

Learning the truth about the shocking messages of Fatima could save you and your loved ones from making horrible mistakes.

What, exactly, would those "mistakes" be? Praying the Rosary? Wearing the Scapular? Making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? It never tells us, but wants us to believe Our Lady of Fatima was a demonic deception. 

WPATF states:

A group of occult psychics in Portu, Portugal claimed that “something transcendental” would occur on May 13,1917. And this was published in the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias. There was another prediction claimed to have been written on February 7, 1917 in Furtado de Mendonça, Portugal by way of “automatic writing” that moved the psychic’s hand and wrote the following backwards (and in Portuguese):

The day of May 13th will be one of great happiness for the good souls of the world…Always at your side shall ye have your friends, who will guide your steps and who will assist ye in your

work…The brilliant light of the Morning Star will illuminate the path.

~ Stella Matutina

So the above occult prophecy claimed that a lightbringer would illuminate a path on May 13, 1917. Stella is Latin for star. Matutina is associated with the morning. It may be relevant to note that the name Lucifer means lightbringer, and he is associated in sacred scripture with both the morning and stars (Isaiah 14:12-13), as well as becoming known as Satan the devil (Revelation 12:9). Although Jesus is also called the “Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16), using the type of automatic backward writing to reveal His mother does not seem to be biblically appropriate (cf. Isaiah 8:19-20), hence it should not be concluded that this Stella Matutina was Jesus. (See WPATF, pg. 33).

What is the source of this information? I referenced the book in the endnotes, Celestial Secrets: The Hidden History of the Fatima Incident (2007) by Joaquim Fernandes and Fina D'Armada. The authors believe that Our Lady was actually an alien sent by a UFO. There is a trio of books (this one and two others) attempting to prove this whacky thesis. Moreover, the books are promoted by  Andrew D. Basiago, a "UFOlogist." Besides an attempted run for President of the U.S. in 2016, Basiago claims he:

• Can teleport himself through time and space
• Has made contact with Bigfoot
• Went to Mars in 1981 and converses with Martians who live there 

(See, e.g.,https://www.inverse.com/article/14577-confessed-time-traveler-andrew-basiago-is-running-for-president-knows-he-ll-win)

These are the people we are supposed to believe over Church authority regarding Fatima. The trilogy is itself occult (talking to "beings from other worlds"--more than likely demons if not delusions of mental illness) and used by Thiel to make Fatima look "demonic." Moreover, occultists will often use the superior knowledge of demons to make something true appear false and vice-versa--if such an occult prediction even happened. No less than 20 of Thiel's 96 endnotes reference this occult book.  

The only thing "occult" about Fatima is that occultists have attacked it. 

Conclusion

The scandals that can come from distorting the importance of private revelations should be manifest. First are those who exalt private revelations/apparitions whether approved by the Church (such as Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Lourdes) or not (such as Our Lady of the Roses or Garabandal) over the teaching of the Church. It should be painfully apparent how placing these apparitions over doctrine will inevitably lead people into error (usually by being trapped in the falsehood of the Vatican II sect).  People also fail to learn the Faith because they want to know the "true meaning" of the "Third Secret," or how some alleged saying of the Blessed Mother squares with the Bible.

Second, there are those claiming that approved revelations/apparitions are the work of the devil. If there is a true pope, when he approves an apparition as "worthy of belief," we cannot declare it the work of Satan. You can choose not to believe at all, but that's foolish. The pope is protected by the Holy Ghost from giving error and evil to the Church. Error and evil is all the devil works for, so that nothing that comes from the devil can ever have papal approval; the Holy Ghost would prohibit it.

In my opinion, private revelations should be seen as helps to get to Heaven. Take away the good general message, e.g., praying the Rosary, wearing the Scapular, making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the first Five Saturdays devotion, etc. Don't worry about "the true meaning" of such and such that the Blessed Mother was supposed to have said. On the other hand, don't give scandal by declaring an approved apparition as "evil" or "of the devil" and tacitly deny the Indefectibility of the Church. Spend your time on Earth wisely by learning and practicing the Faith. In this time of Great Apostasy, with no pope to guide us, private revelations can be very dangerous.