FROM BORROMEO TO BOB JONES AND BÊTISES BY JACINDA

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The sight of a priest walking through falling snow, holding high the monstrance to bless the faithful lined up in cars in a parking lot, in Minnesota on Easter Sunday, has brought me to tears today.

An acolyte knelt in the snow to ring the bell while Father celebrated Holy Mass (ad orientem) in the back of a truck. Flowers decorated its interior. 

I don't know the name of the priest but he wasn't young. He was bald and burly but his bulk, under his beautiful vestments, must surely have been augmented by layers of warmies. Of course he wore no gloves and no face mask. 

He spoke of the irony of this Easter: on that first day of the week, the Apostles were in hiding. 

"Now," said Father, "it seems like the Church is in hiding, that she has no answer for this situation. Some states are warning that anyone driving to church this Easter will have their licence plates recorded and will be quarantined for 14 days.

"There is no way, no weather, no force or principality in Heaven or on earth which will stop us sacrificing the Mass.

"It is a terrible sacrifice for Catholics to go without Communion. We must pray that this crisis ends in time to fulfill our Easter obligation. If you can't, you're not culpable."

St John Vianney, Curé of Ars and patron of parish priests, was forced into hiding (like NZ's elderly, who are under virtual house arrest). He had no access to the Sacraments, said Father, for months. "Our Lord sustained him."

St Maximilian Kolbe had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary even as a child, a piety rewarded by a vision of Mary who offered him a choice of two crowns: one white, for purity, another red, for martyrdom. Maximilian chose both. (Not greedy, just smart!)

During WWII in Nazi Germany, Maximilian, by then ordained as a Conventual Franciscan, and his friars hid 3000 refugees in their monastery. The Nazis eventually discovered the operation; Father Kolbe was arrested and interned at Auschwitz. 

When the names of ten men were called, to be starved to death in reprisal for the suspected escape of one prisoner, one of the ten begged for mercy on behalf of his wife and children. Fr Kolbe stepped forward to take his place and was the last of the ten to die, keeping their faith in God alive in their hearts until the end, when he was killed by a lethal injection. Starved of the sacraments like St John Vianney, he earned by his white crown by the purity of his holy priesthood, his red crown by martydom.

"Today the whole world is in hiding," said the South St Paul Minnesota priest in concluding his sermon from the back of a truck in a snowy parking lot. "But we are baptised into Christ, the God-Man who died that we might live."

Michael Matt of The Remnant to whom I'm indebted for this video - https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/4848-holy-saturday-parking-lot-priest-answers-vigano-s-urgent-plea - calls this man "a Braveheart Priest", one of many "priestly heroes" produced by the Covid pandemic "all across the country".

We thank God for saints such as St John Vianney and St Maximilian Kolbe, and that Amurrica has such priests who may be saints too. Where are ours? Why are our bishops and priests so keen to serve the government rather than God? 

Part of the answer may lie in 50 years of NO Masses producing a diminished, dumbed-down, emasculated priesthood. We note that this South St Paul priest (unidentified for risk of harassment by the media) celebrated Mass ad orientem.

And while many Kiwi Catholics are clamoring for action (tragically, rear-guard) from our bishops, asking them to petition the gummint to have the Mass recognised as an "essential service"  - because worshipping God is the first duty of man - 

• by admitting the faithful into their own churches with social distancing 
• by creative thinking as exhibited by the Braveheart Priest in his truck in the snow; our priests would get off lightly by comparison, weather-wise
• by exhibiting the Blessed Sacrament from a church window (preferably well out of stone's throw) 
• by outdoor Masses 

- what do we hear from the NZBCB? They're hard at work posting on Facebook a pic of the Kiwi nurse who worked at Boris Johnson's ICU bedside. Because she went to a Catholic college. 

We wouldn't want to cast aspersions, but what are the chances Nurse Jenny McGee is still practising the faith she should have been taught at Verdon, Invercargill? She'd be a stand-out if she does (it would be wonderful if we heard a shout-out from someone saying she attends Mass every Sunday).

Meanwhile, this crazy gummint has decided that Linens and More are an "essential service". Yes indeed: Linens and More have "permission to despatch your essential bedding: gorgeous bedspreads and quilts, stunning throws, waffle blankets, comfortable protectors and toppers, and extra-comfy bedding sheets." 

Now, I don't believe our home-grown billionaire Bob Jones' home - where 'im indoors and I were dinner guests,once upon a time - would be short of what Linens and More calls gorgeous bedspreads, otherwise he might have come across this bêtise and referenced it in his April 13 column on "The Coming Economic Crisis and its Political Consequences".

Other things however did not escape his notice, for instance:

• our hopeless media: Jacinda-obsessed, non-analytical
• Jacinda's awful blunders
• 6 weeks ago at another dinner party he told 3 of our most senior government figures to "get ready to write a huge cheque for Air NZ" - and they were puzzled
• we've wrongly followed overseas Covid-19 practices, mostly to a more extreme degree
• the economic cost will be enormous
• 400 Wellington restaurants have gone broke 
• everyone other than company receivers will suffer
• hotels, flights, travel agents, motels etc employing circa 300,000 people are gone
• common sense with the balance of our economy was sadly lacking
• he will be very happy if unemployment is only 25%
• confidence and morale will be terrible
• the IMF have claimed we will have a depression worse than the 1930s
• people will hoard their money
• a new car will be put aside,
• ditto a new house
• employment agencies will have job-seekers, not employers on their books 
• we needed only hand-washing and distance measures
• elderly living at home needed a volunteer scheme to do their shopping etc
• thousands of jobs gone needlessly
• the avalanche of family violence
• a ridiculous array of busybody rules:
• why have lockdown in your home but not the holiday home?
• police inspected cars at Easter and turned back people with suitcases
• you may go for a walk only near home; why not a more interesting one?
• we can't go swimming because we'll tie up police if we drown
• dozens of police roaming beaches watching out for sinners: madness!
• we may buy food only in supermarkets - all day queues, small businesses destroyed
• we may drive only to the supermarket or pharmacy: what nonsense!
• families slowly going mad in small houses denied relief of outings in cars in their bubbles
• fishing banned: why? A bloke surf-casting alone on a beach constitutes a massive health threat
• golf should be encouraged, just close the pro-shop cafe and bar
• buying magazines declared a danger
• visits to GPs banned; GPs now on welfare in a health crisis, it's Kafkaesque 
• all these lunatic rules mindlessly copied from the Brits' 70 million in a land the size of NZ
• 600,000 people die annually of the flu
• the government lost all sense of proportion in handling this crisis
• the government should have recognised the problem primarily affects the aged and infirm
• lockdown for a fortnight points a finger at government's naivety
• we seemingly have no grown-ups in charge
• you want a Labour politician as a dinner guest but a Nat as a neighbour (assuming you have a high boredom threshold) - which explains why 'im indoors and I were never invited to Bob's place again
• government should end lockdown forthwith, stress social distancing and hand washing
• vulnerable elderly need close attention
• in a climate of economic despair the Greens' message will seem irrelevant and esoteric
• by the time the election arises we'll be wallowing in despair
• As Clinton famously remarked, "It's the economy stupid"
• The well proven adage that oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them, will come into play in the pervading gloom

It's as I always said, during my far-from-illustrious career as an aspiring MP's wife; people vote according to their pocket. It's a horrible thought but a depression may save us from further Jacindarellerisms.

 And now, from the gor' blimey (Sir Bob) to the sublime (St Charles Borromeo). A liberal Catholic informed me today that during the plague St Charles "locked the churches". I was incensed. It just shows you, I said, that there are silos and silos - he'd previously informed me that my information comes from my 'silo'. 

I'd have said that my business is spreading information, not sealing it up. But anyway, I went to my 'silo' and found this information on St Charles Borromeo in the plague:

In 1576 a violent plague gripped the city of Milan and lasted until January, 1578. St. Charles made personal visits to the plague stricken victims in their homes and in the city’s poorly run, unsanitary, and understaffed public hospital called the Lazzaretto. Plague victims sent to the Lazzaretto were assured of dying a terrible and painful death because physicians and staff refused to treat them. 

St. Charles protested to the authorities about this treatment of the sick and dying and was allowed to bring priests in to offer help, absolution, and last rites. Many priests arrived in Milan for the purpose of serving the plague victims, their families, and the dying.  

Because the Lazzaretto could not support all of the dying victims, St. Charles personally purchased six other properties to care for the victims. Temporary altars were erected on street corners at the request of St. Charles. Housebound victims received Holy Communion from their windows from priests who would climb up on ladders.

Once the plague was over, the temporary altars were torn down and crosses were erected to remind future generations of God’s Mercy. Many wealthy people gave a portion of their riches to help the poor. Milan was spiritually transformed because of St. Charles Borromeo’s acts of piety, humility, love of God, and people of Milan. He ordered church bells to be rung every morning and night so that the people would be recalled to prayer. .

https://www.saintcharlesb.org/welcome/parish-and-school-history/about-our-patron-saint

ST CHARLES BORROMEO

6000 died in the first two months of what has been called "St Charles' Plague in 1576; the death toll in Italy from 2020 coronavirus at time of writing is just over 1000. 

https://h www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-italian-bishops-conference-shuts-down-all-rome-churches

Yesterday, Easter Monday, Fr Michael Johnson SSPX in his sermon online from St Anthony's Priory Whanganui, like the priest in South St Paul's, recalled that in the first Easter week the Apostles were "all hunkered down" (Fr Johnson also is an Amurrican) for fear of the Jews.

"And now we are all hunkered down. The entire world is under house arrest. This has never happened before in the history of the world. How long will we remain in our upper rooms?

"When Jesus appeared to the Apostles he never criticised them for hiding, but for faithlessness. Jesus never urged the Apostles to leave their hideout. Not till the 50th day. 

"What, who and when will bring us forth? Will it be those who locked us up? We fear a microbe; do we fear our overlords? Normal may never be normal again. Our overlords today are as the Jews were to the Apostles."

Upon that Fr Johnson whipped out a little book and waved it at his online congregation. I believe it was titled "True Devotion to Mary".* He told us that St Padre Pio had called the Rosary "the weapon for these times". 

That Pope Pius XI said, “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.” 

That Pope Leo XIII said, "There is no more excellent way of praying.” 

Fr Johnson often asks Catholics, "Do you say the Rosary every day?" And they mostly say, "I try to."

"Trying," said Fr Johnson, "does nothing. "Doing does everything. You do well if you pray five Mysteries every day. If all Catholics did that the world would be a different place.

"Well here we all are with nothing to do." (Speak for yourself, Father.) "It's inexcusable if you don't say five Mysteries. You should do fifteen. Following the virus on the internet does nothing. Spend that time saying the Joyfuls in the morning, the Sorrowfuls at midday - when Christ was crucified - and gather your family together for the Glorious in the evening. 

"This is the perfect time, now that you are all together, to have a family Rosary. Now, the devils are plaguing us openly. Shame on us if we haven't prayed the Rosary. The saints, the Fathers of the Church and Our Lady herself prayed the Rosary. At Fatima she called herself "Our Lady of the Rosary." 

It would be negligent of us if not to pray the Rosary. If we don't, our overlords may take over the earth."

*The process of Total Consecration to Mary was introduced by Saint Louis de Montfort in the early part of the 18th century. The heart of Montfort's classic work True Devotion to Mary is a formal act of consecration to Mary, so through her, one can be consecrated to Christ.