“The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid … because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue … however, Our Lady has already crushed its head” (Sister Lucia, one of the seers of Fatima)

The Latin phrase, motus in fine velocior, is commonly used to indicate the faster passing of the time at the end of an historical period. I’ve heard it said that it means, “Things accelerate toward the end.” We are living through an historical hour which is not necessarily the end of times, but certainly could be marked as the end of an era. I wrote about the potential significance of the 100 years since Fatima, which could be the “100 years of Satan.” That 100 years concludes this year, 2017.

In the United States, according to those who work in exorcism ministry, there is an alarming increase in demonic activity (see HERE). In the culture, we are seeing an overreach of evil never witnessed before. It is important to understand Satan’s names: “diabolos” means “he who places division or separation,” and “daio,” the root of “demon,” means “to divide.” In these final 5 years of Satan’s reign, we have all seen how these outrageous demonic activities have caused great division in our families and communities.

As Satan seductively coaxes more and more people away from the designs of God, these separated people look back, pointing an accusatory finger at those who remained with the Lord, saying, “You are the cause of division because you chose not to join the rebellion!!” … “Join us at this *new and modern* separated place, and we will find unity again!!” Of course, strong and devout Catholics simply cannot join the ranks of the separated, and so division continues to increase.

Just look how emboldened and brazen Satan has been in these final five years of his reign (and the battles waged against him) …

2012 – Barack Obama wins a second term as President. Second term Presidents, generally, serve their last term with a “nothing to lose” attitude. President Obama would go on to do just that, in an unprecidented way.

June 28, 2012: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

August 2012: The White House confirms the ACT’s “contraceptive mandate.” After the intrusions on religious freedom began to become evident in Obamacare, Hobby Lobby stood its ground and dropped its coverage which allowed the abortafacient drugs, Plan-B and Ella. This lawsuit would go all the way to the Supreme Court.

As the lawsuit garnered national attention, and other threats to religious liberty became more real, the USCCB called for a “Fortnight for Freedom” in 2012, June 26-July 4. But, we actually took it a step further and decided to gather every Thursday night that Summer and pray 15 decades of the rosary on the steps of our State Capitol. We averaged 200 people every Thursday night for these “Capitol Rosary Rallies” (these continued for the next two Summers).

On June 9, 2012, my book was published, “Church Militant Field Manual: Special Forces Training in the Life of Christ.”

This was the year we moved, dauntless, into every effort to “purify the Novus Ordo” beginning with offering all Masses ad orientem. Soon after this, we restored the Communion rails, after offering clear teaching on receiving Communion on the tongue while kneeling.

We doubled-down on strongly encouraging the Sacrament of Confession, and the state of grace. I built a 24/7 Confessional in my rectory foyer that allows people to recover their state of grace at any time of any day. Bishop Morlino came over to see it, right after I completed it. He stood in my foyer howling in laughter … for pure joy.

 

2013 – On February 11, Pope Benedict XVI announces his abdication of the Chair of Peter. Moments after his announcement, a lightning bolt strikes the Vatican. This was also the year Obama entered his “nothing to lose” 2nd term as President. And, this was the year Baghdadi announced the formation of ISIS, which exploded across the planet with global terrorism. While ISIS was beheading Christians around the globe, our radical secular led government was stripping Christians of their religious freedom.

On March 13, Pope Francis is elected pope. A great advocate for those at the fringes, he is often interpreted, by the secular media in particular, as a great friend of liberals and liberal policies. Secular liberals who, under the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, were beginning to recede to the margins, are now once again brazen and emboldened. We must not fall into the trap of the media, and continue to pray for the Holy Father.

Satan appears emboldened and moving unabated, as Hollywood idolizes satanism in Super Bowl half time shows, award events, etc. Satanism and witchcraft explodes in popularity across the nation, especially among the youth.

A reawakening of Marian Consecration erupts like a volcano across the nation. On June 5, 2013, Fr. Michael Gaitley published his book, 33 Days to Morning Glory. Hundreds of thousands of people across the nation journeyed together in the 33 day preparation for Marian Consecration.

I asked Fr. Gaitley to come to our diocese. I was told that the turnout for his talk was the largest single gathering at the diocese in history. People knew the time had come for what Fr. Gaitley was promoting.

Fr. Gaitley’s talk was riveting, as he warned that “something is coming” …

“While St. Maximilian Kolbe’s push for consecration was the largest,” according to Father Michael Gaitley, “the one going on right now is the second-largest ever, and the largest since St. Maximilian Kolbe’s.” Father Gaitley went on to say “now is the perfect time” to consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary. He said the “culture of death is strangling our country right now.” He added that Our Lady is trying to “bring Christ back there,” saying she comes when things look hopeless. There’s a “historical reason” for the new push to consecration. Fr. Gaitley said. “there’s something happening, something moving, something ahead,” while no one knows specifically what is coming. “Our Lady wants to be embracing all of us,” he added.

Romancatholicman.com – my teaching website – was launched.

 

2014 – On October 4, the Bishops Synod on the Family is convened. With the appointment of many liberal bishops, there is great trepidation among many. In the lead up to the synod, Cardinal Burke asks the world to pray the Chaplet of the Holy Face.

This was the year we knew a Supreme Court decision was pending that could redefine marriage for the first time in civilization.

Beyond promoting the Chaplet of the Holy Face, this was also the year we strongly encouraged a restoration of the enrollment in the Brown Scapular as a way to be covered and protected under the mantle of Mary.

 

2015 – On June 26, the Supreme Court redefines marriage for the first time in civilization. The primaries begin for President of the United States, and they were brutal.

Holy League is launched: Inspired by an apostolate we launched in 2007 – the Knights of Divine Mercy – on March 7, we launched the “Holy League“ which called men to gather once a month for an evening of Adoration, Confession, Solemn Vespers, Inspiring Talk, and a Social. Cardinal Burke happily agreed to be the Spiritual Head of the Holy League, as he stated, “This is exactly what is needed at this time in history.”

On October 4, the final (part two) – very contentious – Bishops Synod on the Family is convened. It was this synod, along with the rise of evil throughout the world, that compelled me to launch, through social media, the very first worldwide 54-Day Rosary Novena. I built this into a 54-Day Basic Training in Holiness. The daily reflections are this basic training in holiness. Drawing from the truths found in the Holy Scriptures, the saints, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first 27 days focus upon the qualities of excellence toward which we are all called to strive. The second 27 days contain excerpts from the Church Militant Field Manual: Special Forces Training for the Life in Christ.

On November 23, the 54 Day Basic Training in Holiness, along with its companion, Combat Prayer Book, are released. Both inspired by the original World War II pocket prayer book, My Military Missal. Even down to the size and appearance of the original World War II prayer book.

 

2016 – On April 8, a post-synodal apostolic exhortation is promulgated by Pope Francis: Amoris Laetitia. While it is a rich reflection on the mission of the family, chapter 8 “seems” to open the door for divorced and civilly remarried (living in a state of mortal sin) to receive Holy Communion, without the need to practice continence. Without any clarification from Pope Francis, Bishop Conferences – including Germany and Malta – begin to instruct their priests to allow divorced and civilly remarried (in a state of mortal sin) to receive Holy Communion. On September 19, four Cardinals – Italian Carlo Caffarra, American Raymond Burke and Germans Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner – sent the five questions, called dubia (Latin for “doubts”) to the Holy Father and Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). We love Pope Francis and pray for him, especially to add this clarity that will bring peace and unity in truth to his flock.

On May 13 – exactly one year, to the day, prior to the 100th anniversary of Fatima – President Obama decreed that all American schools must make all bathrooms transgender or face lawsuits and potentially lose federal funding. That’s right, grown men should be allowed to share a bathroom with little girls.

Also, in 2016, we move into the “General Election” for President in, what most say, was the most contentious election in the history of the United States. Much of the left’s corruption and collusion is exposed. On November 8, Donald Trump astonishes the nation by defying the vast majority of polls, and wins the election.

On August 15, Novena for Our Nation is launched. 20,000-40,000 people from around the United States participate in the Novena for Our Nation from August 15 (Feast of the Assumption) – October 7 (Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary).

 

2017 – Hell seems to break loose as protests and riots erupt (many funded) around the world. “All” of the mainstream media disposes of any remaining journalistic integrity, and obsesses, daily, on anything they can find, true or untrue, to destroy President Donald Trump. All of the sources of power – media, Hollywood, TV, universities, public schools, theater – who have relentlessly promoted the false gods of sexual hedonism, infanticide and radical individualism for decades, are now feeling threatened, maybe for the first time. And so, Satan and his surrogates are having a temper tantrum.

“Since Inauguration Day critics of Donald Trump have marched, rioted, verbally abused and in some cases viciously assaulted their opponents on a scale previously unseen … Mr. Trump is now President Trump, and curiously, some of the harshest, on-going fury directed at him has nothing to do with his personal character. Rather, it’s a very special brand of ‘progressive’ intolerance for the approach his administration may take toward a range of difficult social issues, including abortion.” -Archbishop Chaput

Within the Church, more division is brought on by a lack of clarity, especially with the troublesome speculation that heresy may be promoted at the highest levels of the Church. The final battle, indeed, is about marriage and family, as revealed to St. Lucia.

Nineveh 90 – the 90 days from February 13 to May 13 (100th Anniversary of Fatima) – is launched. Inspired by the biblical story of Jonah’s warning to the Ninevites, 20,000-40,000 (or more) people from around the United States and the world participate in this campaign of prayer and mortification, as they call out to God for redemption for themselves, the Roman Catholic Church and the world.

Beyond Nineveh 90, there is, quite evidently, a spirit of “fight” that has been missing for many years. For decades, Satan has been allowed to move and grow unabated in our country and in our world. There is a very apparent awakening to our need for God and our need to fight back – Spiritual Warfare!!

This is not unlike the awakening of the Crusades when, after 100s of years of allowing Muslims to overthrow many lands and, now, threatened to overthrow the Holy Land.

Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095 with the primary goal of the Christian re-conquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. So great was the pope’s speech in Clermont, France, on that day that the crowd was inspired to cry out: “Deus Vult! Deus Vult!” (“It is the will of God! It is the will of God!”). This became the battle cry of brave and noble knights who sought to recover that holy ground.

These are the final days of this 100 year reign of Satan. Are you ready to do battle? Spiritual Warfare?

In the movie, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Aragorn calls his men to throw down the gauntlet against the forces of evil. Let this call be ours:

“My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!” (Excerpt from Church Militant Field Manual).

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