“And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His Mother:
… And Thy own Soul a sword shall pierce that,
out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:34-35
“But as for those, My enemies, who would not have Me Reign
over them, bring them hither, and kill them before Me.”
Luke 19:27
Every Scripture verse rises and falls upon each other.
For those who truly love Jesus as the Word of God, this Truth is obvious.
For those who claim to love Him, yet pick and choose the Words of God to suit their own interpretations, this Truth is hidden.
While there are many who make the claim to love Him, few pass the test only a God of Love could devise.
A God whose Heart burns with flames of not only Love, but Mercy and holiness.
A hardened heart is easy for the Lord to detect for He has devised the ultimate test: the Heart of His Mother.
The only Heart in the Universe that can lay claim to the simple humanistic fact that every mother knows who has had a child grow within their womb: the hearts of a mother and child beat spiritually as one!
Out of this Sacred and Immaculate Heart of Mary, the human yet Divine Sacred Heart of the One True God and True Man was formed.
As their lives on Earth proved, their Hearts are inseparable.
Two Hearts which would be pierced: One on the Cross while the Sword of Sorrow pierced His Mother’s Heart.
The royal blood from the House of David which flowed in Mary’s veins flowed in His.
The same Precious Blood which would be spent on the Cross in Love for mankind.
This connection of heart and blood is the soul of any human life.
In our family, there have been disconnections of the hearts between parents and children.
Earlier this week, our daughter-in-law became a grandparent again.
She had not been speaking with our granddaughter.
In her heart, somehow, she knew to call.
The baby had just been born.
By Thursday, the baby’s health had significantly deteriorated; he was diagnosed with a large gaping hole in his heart (please pray for him as he will soon be transported to a metropolitan hospital for open heart surgery).
The same symbolic hole mother and daughter had created between each other?
Today, there is a new bond between the two borne out of a connection shared long ago between a mother and her unborn child.
If it can be so between imperfect, ill-tempered, prideful human beings, what is the bond shared between the God of the Universe and the Woman “full of grace” He created and chose to be born to?
Yet, the world refuses to recognize this all-important bond.
It screams, it revolts against it!
“But His citizens hated Him:
and they sent an embassage after Him:
‘We will not have this Man to Reign over us!’ ”
Luke 19:14
(Capitalization for clarity of Who the true Subject in the parable is)
What does all this have to do with “ignoring the Queen of Iraq”?
For those who love Jesus and Mary, the Truth is obvious.
For those who claim to love Jesus and ignore Mary, this Truth is hidden.
One of our favorite longtime readers recently had a close encounter of the protest-ant kind (and please remember, why we continually hyphenate that word so that we all might acknowledge what exactly these people are doing: i.e., protesting against the Sacraments, the Queenship of Mary, etc).
In his e-mail to us, after his brilliant (and, yes, Pio it was brilliant!) defense of our Queen, his protagonist “was honestly puzzled as to why we are going to such great lengths to defend (our Blessed Mother) Mary, when all we need for salvation is (our Lord) Jesus! … He was astonished as to why Catholics make a big issue out of these things [Immaculate Conception, Assumption of Mary, etc.] when the center of our faith is (our Lord) Jesus.”
And so for this protestor who “is an honest seeker,” our friend seeks “a rational answer for a rational seeker” in defense of Marian dogma.
A laudatory desire — but one we were not sure is possible.
In our e-mail response, we thought of the prophecy of Simeon that we began this article with — a prophecy that is not even correctly translated in the standard New International Version used by so many protestors.
The same passage of Luke 2:35 does not put the emphasis on a Sword of Sorrow piercing the Heart of Mary “so that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed.” It just states that as far as Mary is concerned, “a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
Perhaps, we thought, the Lord, who is a God of Love, does not desire a “rational answer” for devotion to Mary.
Perhaps, in reality, it is a false so-called “rational” thought — like moving Scripture verses around so that the focus is shifted away from Mary because one cannot believe that the Bible could possibly bespeak of Her role in salvation — that removes one’s devotion from the Mother of God.
And then we come to that word “salvation” again.
As our Catholic Dictionary of 1931 states “salvation” is “the freeing of the soul from the bonds of sin and its consequences,” something that cannot be attained without Confession (see John 20:23) and the Eucharist in one’s life.
So, once again, we have a misinterpretation of “salvation” by protestors who do not believe in the second definition of the word, which clearly states in the words of Blessed Pius IX: “It is to be held as of faith that none can be saved outside the Apostolic Roman Church ... but nevertheless it is equally certain that those who are ignorant of the true religion … will not be held guilty in the matter in the eyes of the Lord.”
Where this “ignorance” lies is truly a matter between the individual and the Lord.
With all the propaganda against the true faith, how many grow up “ignorant” in this regard?
Interestingly, Pius IX is the pontiff who will promulgate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Among the reasons Fatima seer Sister Lucia stated that the Lord allows a soul to go the way of eternal perdition is for that individual to deny the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This can cause the loss of their salvation!
Yet, how many times have we, as Catholics, heard a protest-ant pontificate on what the Immaculate Conception is without knowing the true definition of it — even mixing it up with the virginal Birth of our Lord?
Where does that soul stand with the Lord in their personal “ignorance”?
Is this not proof that we need to comprehend Mary as well as Jesus for eternal “salvation”?
In other words, to get into Heaven free — the ultimate meaning of “salvation” — and be part of the “beatific vision,” not only are the Sacraments essential, but grace from the Mediatrix of All Graces is, too! Without these, it is apparent one will not go right through the pearly gates that St. Peter guards and, instead, be handed a penalty card that says, “do not pass go; do not collect $200.00; go directly to jail” (Purgatory or worse)!
Again, as our Catholic Dictionary from the Holy Trinity Bible states in regard to attaining Heaven: “Not everyone, however, will have an equal share of heavenly bliss, for each person’s capability will depend on the degree of sanctifying grace he has at the moment of death.”
Grace that only comes from the Sacraments and Mary. (This is what we were discussing on the powerful difference in graces between attending the Novus Ordo or the Tridentine Mass.)
In addition, as our friend Pio correctly stated when defending Marian dogmas, “talking from faith-based experience (the approach I had taken) could be sometimes dangerous because even heresies could grow out of ‘faith based experiences’ — in the sense that ‘spiritual experience’ cannot be the rule for truth. Whether I feel spiritually elevated or not, truth is the truth.”
Is this not a brilliant view of the mistaken “ecstasy” we see as televangelists — who in heresy, ignore Mary — work their “magic” over a crowd?
So is there a “rational” answer to Marian devotion?
We believe, oddly, part of the answer can be found in Iraq.
The very pagan nation once known as Babylon in which the Jewish nation was long-ago exiled.
A people, chosen by God, to bring forth prophets to propagate His Word.
A prophet who once wrote the admonishing Words of the Lord God against the people of Israel, lamenting that, “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to offer libations to strange gods, and to provoke Me to anger!” Jeremias 7:18.
The very same passage protest-ants now use to lay claims against Mary and Her Queenship, despite the easy retorts found in Apocalypse 12:1, Luke 1:49 and the simple fact that one cannot use the verse from Jeremias as a predeterminative statement against the Lord’s own Mother (for the queen referred to in the passage is certainly not Mary and most likely isis)!
It is the same twisting of the Lord’s Words as they proclaim Jesus rebuked the woman who honored His Mother (see Luke 11:27-28) instead of comprehending our King’s desire for us not to focus on the physical makeup of Mary (Her Womb and breasts), but on the fact that She heard “the Word of God, and keep it!”
And so “reason” can be an enemy in all these interpretations, translations and a plain ol’ desire to reject anything that possibly “smacks of popery”!
We are left then with the matters of the heart and spirit when it comes to Mary.
Or are we?
Chess is an extremely “rational” game.
There is no doubt the entire object of the game is the King.
To protect him or destroy him.
As the King, he can move anywhere he chooses; but he chooses, instead, to have his Queen control his territory: the board.
As his consort, she has all the King’s power and exercises it on his behalf.
She, along with the bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns protect and attack for the King’s sake and to control the board.
When these pieces work in conjunction, victory over the enemy is assured.
When these pieces work singularly, checkmate of the opposition is impossible.
We are in a chess game.
Iraq — as many other battlegrounds — forms the chessboard.
There is the White King — our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
There is the black king — the evil enemy of God and mankind.
We are not suggesting that there is an equivalent queen on the dark side, but, as any believer knows, there are corresponding “legions” of demons that fight against God and His Heavenly Court (see Apocalypse 12:7).
As St. Anthony of Padua, the great friend of St. Francis, stated, “In this world, the Blessed Virgin was poor and unknown, but in Heaven, She is glorious and beautiful, the Queen of Angels!” (Remember our Lord’s Words: “So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, bur few chosen!” Matthew 20:16).
As the Queen, it is Mary’s role — chosen by God and confirmed in the Book of Apocalypse — to direct the forces of Heaven against the enemy of God.
But we do not fight with Her.
We, as a creation, fight against Her!
The bishops have gone astray.
The knights.
There is no more castle to protect Her and defend Her pawns — the Rosary warriors who continue when all seems lost.
Protestors seem to relish defaming the Woman who gave birth to their God!
They also love to seem to put down the one weapon — the Rosary — that She told us, when enough prayers have been said, She will use the frail chord of Her
personal Rosary beads and hand them to St. Michael to bind the evil one forever!
For now though, the legions of the black king are encircling Her castle — the Rock on which Her Son founded His Church: the Church that has promulgated the dogmas of Mary!
It is apparent in the war in Iraq.
A nation which was consecrated to the Immaculata by the bishops in Baghdad just before the start of the war.
The war went well and quickly at the beginning.
Few casualties and a decisive end to the dictator and his family.
Then, no one thanked the Immaculata.
Not the pope.
Not the Church.
Not the bishops who rightly had performed a publicly ceremony of consecration, but offered no public Mass of thanksgiving once sad man insein had been toppled.
The Queen of Iraq was ignored.
Instead, the new Babylonian king was honored; a man, who, as a member of the Skull and Bones society, ignores Mary and honors a false queen, eulogia.
As a result, in Her Son’s Kingship, the Lord removes His Hand of Protection when neither He nor His Queen are properly honored, for war is a chastisement for sin. The “prince of Persia” was allowed to, once again, stir up his might against those whose victory was hollow.
A nation whose entire leadership does not honor the Queen of Heaven, but the masonic madonna, the “goddess” of liberty.
A nation that continues to clamor against Jesus and Mary in its courts, in its artwork, in its schools, in its politics, in the media: “We will not have this Man — nor His Mother — to Reign over us!”
A nation that then expects God — in whatever definition that it might wish to define Him — to protect and defend its honor when it ignores the Rights, not of man, but of the true Royalty of the Heavenly Court!
The Rights of man’s Creator.
The Right of our King to have a Queen and on His Chessboard to give Her — the humble “Handmaid of the Lord” — command of His Army!
This is why we go “to such great lengths to defend (our Blessed Mother) Mary … . ” This is the reason why Catholics should “make a big issue out of these things [Immaculate Conception, Assumption of Mary, etc.] … .”
For they are essential weapons in the war.
The war the New Adam and New Eve are waging against our adversary.
The adversary who, in his pride, when confronted with Mother and Child, refused to honor them and symbolically said, “i will not serve!” (read all of Apocalypse 12, specifically verse 13 in which the “dragon” persecutes “the Woman who brought forth the Man Child.”)
We do NOT follow the adversary when we defend the King’s Mother!
When we honor Her as our Queen!
We prove to our God when we accept Mary as our Queen that, unlike the adversary, we truly pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Adveniat Regnum Tuum! Fiat voluntas tua!” “Thy Kingdom come! Thy Will be done” on Earth as it already is in Heaven!
These defenses of Mary will, again, play an essential role in the form our eternal rewards will take as we are judged before the King of Kings!
Is this logical to a protest-ant who does not believe in a hierarchal Heaven?
Will it provide a “rationale” to honor Mary as one’s Queen?
We think not.
We believe most will NOT — or even worse, refuse to — see the historical perspective of this reality, based inarguably from the time our Queen rescued Christians from the moslem infidels as Our Lady of Mercedes (today, however, let’s go buy a new luxury vehicle and honor it instead of Her)!
Most will see our response as “faith-based,” and our thoughts will continue to “puzzle” those whose hardened hearts cannot see.
It is only more proof that unlike the true faith of old, when the Christian world was united under the banner of Mary, we have each gone our own way.
But because we have each one gone our own way and refuse to follow that which Jesus did Himself — honor His Mother (in Hebrew, the translation of “kaboda” means “to glorify”!) — as the Commandment commands, we can only expect the war in Iraq, the nation, the world, to grow colder and more chaotic with each passing day.
We have failed to obey our Commander.
The majority — even those who call themselves Christian — have failed to be like Jesus and “to glorify” Her.
The failure of the message of Fatima to take root in the heart of mankind is proof enough alone.
Therein lies the reason we are losing THE war — whether spiritually, or in Iraq, in the arts, in school, in politics, etc.
For we are ignoring our Queen — whether as the Queen of Iraq, or the Queen of All Nations.
And as the Sword of Sorrow continues to penetrate our Commander’s Immaculate Heart, so “that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed,” we can only expect one final thing from our King — whether in His incredible return to defend His Mother’s honor in this Millennium or our personal Judgment in Eternity:
Her Reign over them, bring them hither, and kill them before Me.”
© 2004 Agnus Dei Presents!
Apparently, he had heard I was flirting with the ‘whore of Babylon,’ as he put it.
He didn’t waste any words.
‘So, Scott, are you worshipping Mary yet?’
‘C’mon, Chris, you know that Catholics don’t worship Mary, they simply venerate her.’
‘Really, Scott, what’s the difference? There’s no biblical basis either way.’
I didn’t know what to say. Fingering my Rosary, I whispered to Mary for help. Emboldened, I replied,
‘You might be surprised.’
‘Oh, really, how so?’
I just started saying whatever came into my mind.
‘It’s really quite simple, Chris. Just remember two basic biblical principles.
First, you know that, as a man, Christ fulfilled God’s law perfectly, including the commandment to honor his father and mother. The Hebrew word for honor, kaboda, literally means ‘to glorify.’ So Christ didn’t just honor his heavenly Father; he also perfectly honored his earthly mother, Mary, by bestowing his own divine glory upon her.
The second principle is even easier: the imitation of Christ. So, we simply imitate Christ not just by honoring our own mothers but also by honoring whomever he honors — and with the same honor he bestows.’
There was a long pause before Chris said,
‘I never heard it put that way before.’ ”
— from Rome Sweet Home,
Our Journey to Catholicism,
by Scott and Kimberly Hahn
© 1993 Ignatius Press