Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is now POPE ... · For the Triumph of the Immaculate...

For the Triumph of the Immaculate

HABEMUS PAPAM!

57th Year. No. 374 March/April 2013 4 years: $20.00

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

of Argentina is now

POPE FRANCIS

9

18

Contents 3 “Go, Francis, and repair my Church!” Alain Pilote

6 Whi is Pope Francis? Benedict XVI

11 “The Lord does not let His Church sink” Benedict XVI 10 “Be protectors of God’s gifts!” Pope Francis 15 A soldier’s gift (prayer to St. Joseph) Patrick Chasse16 St. Joseph, Vicar of the Eternal Father Gilberte Cote Mercier 18 Attacks on marriage and the family Yves Jacques20 Our Lady of Lujan in Argentina Anne Marie Jacques22 Social Credit: a major breakthrough Anthony Migchels23 A dividend to all Louis Even28 Our children, the jewels of the Church April Helenek 31 How to install “love” software

PublisherLouis Even Institute for Social Justice (Canada) a non-profit association

Editors (Edition in English)Alain Pilote

AssistantsYves & Anne-Marie Jacques, Melvin Sickler, Jude Potvin, Jacek Morawa, Carlos and Teresa Reyes, Fatima Cervantes

HeadquartersCanada: MICHAEL Journal1101 Principale St., Rougemont QC, J0L 1M0Tel.: (450) 469-2209, (514) 856-5714Fax: (450) [email protected]

RepresentativesUSA: MICHAEL JournalP.O. Box 86, South Deerfield, MA 01373Tel.: (888) [email protected] Australia & New Zealand: MICHAEL Journal32 Dundee Ave, Holden Hill, SA 5088, AustraliaTel.: (08) [email protected]: MICHAEL Journalul. Traugutta 107/5, 50-419 WrocławTel.: (71) [email protected] America: Revista SAN MIGUELTel.: (2) 226 2361; (2) 099 70 78 79 Quito – [email protected]

EditionsLanguage: English, French, Polish, Spanish

Canada & USA: ..................... 2 years – $ 10Australia & NZ: ................... 2 years – A$ 32Europe: ................................. 2 years – 18 €Poland: ................................... 2 years – $20South America: .................... 2 years – $ 20Other countries, air mail: ....... 1 year – $ 20

Subscriptions can be paid by personal/postal cheque or money order, made out to: MICHAEL Journal and sent to the addresses provided above

© 2013 Pilgrims of St. Michael. Permission is granted to reproduce any articles or pictures with full credits given to MICHAEL Journal

Editors reserve the right to shorten sent text and modify all sent titles and subtitles

PUBLICATION MAIL. AGREEMENT No. 40063742

Legal Deposit – National Quebec Library

Printed in Canada

MICHAEL JournalEnglish Edition – No. 374

March/April 2013Date of issue: April, 2013

www.michaeljournal.orgOur website gives a lot of information

on our work, past issues, etc. You can even pay for your subscription or send a donation online through PayPal with your credit card.

11

23

16

6

A journal of Catholic patriots for the kingship of Christ and Mary in the souls of families and nations

For social justice through economic democracy in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church through the vigilant actions of heads of families and not through political parties

For the Triumph of the Immaculate

HABEMUS PAPAM!

57th Year. No. 374 March/April 2013 4 years: $20.00

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

of Argentina is now

POPE FRANCIS

mailto:[email protected]





http://www.michaeljournal.org/

“Go, Francis, and repair my Church! ”Pope Francis will continue Pope Benedict’s work of purification

u

On March 13, 2013, the cardinals gathered in con-clave in the Vatican elected the new successor of Peter and leader of 1.2 billion faithful of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic Church. This new pope was not the one the so-called pundits had pre-dicted, but the one God had in mind from all eternity to take up the challenges of today’s Church: cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, Archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He is the first Jesuit priest chosen to be pope, the first pope from the Americas, and the first non-European pope since St. Gregory III, who was born in Syria and reigned from 731 to 741 And, of course, he is the first pope to be called Francis, in hon-or of St. Francis of Assisi.

From the very first days of his pontificate, all noticed that the new pope wanted to keep the simple lifestyle he had as an arch-bishop in Buenos Aires, for example, by keeping his black shoes instead of using the red ones that are traditionally worn by popes, or by lodging in the Santa Martha House with the employees and guests of the Vatican, instead of the papal apartments. Besides, he said himself, during his first meeting with journalists: “How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!”

It is this different style that brought journalists to say that we would witness with Pope Francis a “revo-lution” in the Vatican and enter a new era, some go-ing as far as to say that Francis would be the opposite of Benedict XVI, and that the Church would be “at last more open” and one would finally get all that the so-called “progressive” had always called for: marriage of priests, ordination of women to the priesthood, a Church without dogmas, etc.

Wait a minute! Even though the style is different, the new pope is still Catholic ! It is true though that Pope Francis, since the time he was archbishop in Bue-nos Aires, likes to be close to the people — especially

the poor — but he is also in perfect harmony with Ben-edict XVI on faith and morals, since he had taken, in Argentina, a strong stand against abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage and Marxist liberation theology. Even if their styles are different, both popes, Francis and Ben-edict, share a same vision of the Church, which is to go back to the essential, that is to say, to put Christ and his message of love at the center of everything.

If the charisma of Ben-edict has been to teach Catholic doctrine clearly, the charisma of Francis is to show God’s goodness and tenderness. The same truths will be taught, but with a special effort to show that all the teachings of the Church are based on the love of God. As Pope Fran-cis said at the Mass mark-ing the official beginning of his ministry as pope, on March 19: “We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”

During the present Year of Faith, Pope Francis will show that faith is not

only about believing in something but, above all, be-lieving in someone, Jesus Christ. One can hear many people today say: «I love Jesus, but I don’t see the need for a Church, commandments, morals, etc.» (In today’s cliche: “I’m very spiritual but not into religion.”) This is because these people don’t see the link, the connection between Jesus and all these structures, all these rules.

To that, Fr. Nicolas Buttet, the founder of the Eucha-ristein Fraternity, gives this interesting answer: “The door of faith is, first of all, an encounter with Some-one, with Jesus Christ. Christianity is not, first of all, about dogmas, morals, or liturgy, it is about a person, Jesus Christ. And because I met this person, I want to known him in truth as He is: this is what we call dogma. I want to live to please this person and use the manual for happiness that he has taught me: this is called morals. And because I met this person, I now want to really be with him and live from him; this is called liturgy and prayer.”

Pope Françis addressing the crowd the evening of his election: “It was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one!”

MICHAEL March/April 2013www.michaeljournal.org 3


On March 23, 2013, an unprecedented event in the history of the Church took place: Pope Françis took a helicopter to the summer residence of the popes in Castel Gandolfo (20 km south-east of Rome) and met his predecessor, Benedict XVI. Before having lunch, they met privately for 45 minutes.

u To know the program of the new Pope, to know his intentions, one just has to listen or read his first speech-es, and all, without exception, refer to Benedict XVI and his teachings. On his very appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of his election, the first words of Pope Francis were for his immediate pre-decessor: “And first of all, I would like to offer a pray-er for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him.”

During his audience with the College of Cardinals on March 15, Francis said: “My thoughts turn with great affection and profound gratitude to my vener-able Predecessor Benedict XVI, who enriched and in-vigorated the Church during the years of his Pontifi-cate by his teaching, his goodness, his leadership, his faith, his humility and his meekness. All this remains as a spiritual patrimony for us all. The Petrine ministry, lived with total dedication, found in him a wise and humble exponent, his gaze always firmly on Christ, the risen Christ, present and alive in the Eucharist. We will always accompany him with fervent prayers, with constant remembrance, with undying and affection-ate gratitude. We feel that Benedict XVI has kindled

a flame deep within our hearts: a flame that will con-tinue to burn because it will be fed by his prayers, which continue to sustain the Church on her spiritual and missionary path.”

On March 22, speaking to the diplomatic corps ac-credited to the Holy See, Pope Francis repeated a theme dear to Benedict XVI, pointing that there is not only ma-terial poverty, but also “another form of poverty! It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously. It is what my much-loved predecessor, the dear and venerated Benedict XVI, called the ‘tyranny of relativism’.”

For the general audience of Wednesday, April 3, Pope Francis took up the Catecheses of the Year of Faith, explaining this article of the Apostles’ Creed: «and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” For this explanation, Francis used almost word for word the explanation given on this topic by Pope Benedict XVI in his book Jesus of Nazareth Part II — Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.

One can do nothing but rejoice over the fact that Francis does not want to do without the huge theologic-al expertise of his predecessor, this unique opportunity

Something never seen before: the present and former Pope praying side by side, in the same pew. When they entered the chapel, Benedict XVI led Pope Francis to the main papal kneeler, but the latter refused, wishing to pray alongside Benedict XVI: “No, we are brothers”, said the new Pope to the emeritus Pope.

not pray to the Lord prays to the devil.» When we do not profess Jesus Christ, we profess the worldliness of the devil, a demonic worldliness... Let us have the courage to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Lord’s Cross; to build the Church on the Lord’s blood which was poured out on the Cross; and to profess the one glory: Christ crucified. And in this way, the Church will go forward.”

After the Benedictine reform (of Pope Benedict XVI, based on doctrine), there will be the Franciscan reform (of Pope Francis, based on goodness). In 1205, at the age of 23, St. Francis of Assisi was praying in front of the crucifix of the small church of St. Damian. Three times Christ on the Cross came to life, and told him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins”. Like his patron saint, Pope Francis will continue the work of purification began by Benedict XVI, to make the Church more in keeping with the plans of Her Div-ine Spouse.

Finally, as he had requested himself on the day of his election, let us not forget to pray for our new Pope Francis, so that the Lord may bless him and give him the required strength and graces to fulfill his mission. And let us also continue to pray for Benedict XVI. Let us support the Holy Father, and let us go forward to profess Christ !

Alain Pilote

in the history of papacy to take advantage of the pre-cious advice from the Pope who reigned before him. According to Fr. Federico Lombardi, the spokesperson for the Vatican, Pope Francis has spoken several times on the phone with Benedict XVI since March 13. And all were able to see the love and respect that the new Pope has for the Emeritus Pope during their historic meeting on March 23 in Castel Gandolfo. And they spoke again to each other on the phone afterwards.

Let us not worry, Jesus will never abandon his Church, nor let it sink. (See page 11.) Once again, God has given us the pastor that we need for the present times.

There is nothing to worry about the fact that the style of Francis is different from that of Benedict XVI; in fact, this is a blessing for the Church: each individual has his own charisma, which reflects one of the many attributes of God. In the case of Pope Francis, this charisma is goodness. But from a doctrinal point of view, as we have seen, far from being at variance with Benedict XVI, Pope Francis is in total harmony with his predecessor. Just like Benedict XVI, the first objective of Francis will be to proclaim Christ and the truth, as he said in the homily of his first Mass as a Pope, on March 14, in the Sixtine Chapel:

“When we do not profess Jesus Christ, the say-ing of Léon Bloy comes to mind: «Anyone who does

Pope Francis presents to Pope emeritus Benedict the icon which had been presented to Pope Francis three days before by Metropolitan Hilarion on behalf of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. “They told me it’s the Madonna of Humility,’ Francis told Benedict. ‘Let me say one thing: When they told me that, I immedi-ately thought of you, at the many marvelous examples of humility and gentleness that you gave us during your pontificate.”.»

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936 in Flores, a district of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. He was baptized eight days later on Christmas Day, December 25. His father, Mario Jose Bergoglio, born in Italy’s Piedmont region, was a rail-way worker. His mother, Regina Maria Sivori, was born in Buenos Aires to a family of northern Italian origin. They got married on December 12, 1935 in Buenos Aires, and had five children: three boys (Alberto, Os-car andt Jorge Mario) and two girls (Marta Regina and Maria Elena). María Elena is the pope’s only living sib-ling.

It was in San Jose’s Church in the district of Flores, where he made his First Communion, that Jorge Mario, at the age of 17, during a con-fession on the feast day of St. Matthew, on Sept. 21, 1953, experienced the mercy of God in a special way, Once or-dained a priest, he will come every year in this church to celebrate a Mass on Easter Sunday. (It is this experience of the mercy of God that will determine his motto as a Bishop, see page 9.)

After secondary school, he received a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires. He worked for a few years in that capacity in the food section of Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory. In 1957, he suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts were discovered, which required part of one lung being removed. In the same year, at the age of 21, he made up his mind: he will become a priest.

Jorge Mario studied at the archdiocesan seminary Inmaculada Concepción in Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires, and after three years entered the Society of Jesus as a novice on March 11, 1958. As a Jesuit novice he stud-ied humanities in Santiago, Chile. At the conclusion of his noviciate in the Society of Jesus, Bergoglio offi-cially became a member of the Jesuit Order on March 12, 1960.

In 1960 he earned a degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. Between 1964 and 1965 he was a teacher of literature and psych-ology at Inmaculada high school in the province of Santa Fe, and in 1966 he taught the same courses at the prestigious Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. In 1967, he returned to his theological studies and was ordained a priest on December 13, 1969 by Bishop

Ramon Jose Castellano, archbishop of Cordoba. He attended the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel, a seminary in San Miguel. He served as the Master of novices for the Province there and as a professor of theology.

Father Bergoglio completed his final stage of spirit-ual formation as a Jesuit, tertianship, at Alcalá de He-

nares, Spain, and took his perpetual vows in the Society of Jesus on April 22, 1973. He was named Provincial Superior of the Soci-ety of Jesus in Argen-tina on July 31 of the same year, and served until 1979. After the completion of his term of office, in 1980 he was named the rector of the Philosophical and Theological Fac-ulty of San Miguel in

Who is Pope Francis?

Family picture. Top row, from left to right, his brother Alberto Horacio, Jorge Mario, his brother Os-car Adrian and his sister Marta Regina. Bottom row, from left to right, his sister Maria Elena, his mother Re-gina Maria Sivori and his father Mario Jose Bergoglio.

In his teen years

Seminarist in 1966

6 MICHAEL March/April 2013 www.michaeljournal.org


San Miguel, and served in that capacity until 1986. During the same period, he is also the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in San Miguel, and denounced, in his homilies, the corruption of the political class and the crisis of values in Argentina.

In 1986, He spent several months at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theol-ogy in Frankfurt, Germany, while considering pos-sible dissertation topics (including a thesis on Fr. Ro-mano Guardini), before returning to Argentina to serve as a confessor and spiritual director to the Jesuit com-munity in Córdoba.

In 1992, at the age of 56, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires by Pope John Paul II, and was ordained on June 27, 1992 by Cardin-al Antonio Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires. On June 3, 1997, Bergoglio was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires with right of automatic succession. On February 28, 1998, upon the death of cardinal Quarracino, Bergoglio became the new archbishop of Buenos Aires.

One of Archbishop Bergoglio’s major initiatives was to increase the Church’s pres-ence in the slums of Buenos Aires, frequently going to the worst slums himself without any entourage. Archbishop Bergoglio refused to live in the elegant bishop’s residence and chooses to live in a simple apartment near the cathedral, and cooked his own meals. He has no chauffeur, and took public transpor-tation wearing the cassock of a simple priest.

Getting up daily at 4:30 a.m., he regularly heard confessions in the cathedral. He installed a private telephone line for his priests to have easier access and breakfasts frequently with each one of them. In 2000, he asks the whole Church in Argentina to “to put on the garments of public penance for the public sins committed during the years of military dictator-

ship.” Archbishop Bergoglio also celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual washing of feet in a jail, a hospital, a home for the elderly or with poor people. In 2001, for example, he visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS patients.

At the consistory of February 21, 2001, Archbishop Bergoglio was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II with the title of cardinal-priest of San Roberto Bellarm-ino.

In October, 2001, he is appointed adjunct relator (recording secretary) in the Synod of Bishops in Rome, de-voted to the theme of the ministry of Bishops. During this Synod, Cardinal Bergoglio stressed the prophetic mis-sion of the Bishop, his identidy as a prophet of justice, his duty to preach without ceasing the social doctrine of the Church, and also his duty to ex-press genuine judgment in matters of faith and morals.

In the meantime, he became more and more popular in Latin America, keeping a sober lifestyle that some compare to that of a monk. It was in this spirit that he refused to become

President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, but he was nevertheless elected president in 2005, then re-elected to another three-year term on Novem-ber 11, 2008. In 2005, he took part in the conclave to choose a successor to John Paul II.

While denoucning social injustices and defending the poor, he also defended the moral teachings of the Church. In June, 2010, when the Argentine govern-ment introduced same-sex marriage legislation, Car-dinal Bergoglio publicly denounced this bill and wrote the following letter to the Carmelite nuns of his arch-diocese, asking for their prayers:

“Here, the envy of the Devil, through which sin entered the world, is also present, and deceitfully in-tends to destroy the image of God: man and woman, who have received the mandate to grow, multiply, and subdue the earth. Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is a pretence to destroy the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project, but rather a ‘move’ of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.

“Jesus tells us that, in order to defend us from this lying accuser, he will send us the Spirit of Truth. Today, our homeland, in this situation, needs the spe-cial assistance of the Holy Ghost to place the light of Truth amid these shadows of error; it needs this Advocate to defend us from the enchantment of so many sophisms with which this bill is being justified, sophisms which confuse and deceive even people of good will.”

Created a cardinal by John Paul IIu





Successor of PeterOn March 13 this year, the second day of the con-

clave, after five ballots, Cardinal Bergoglio received more than two-thirds of the votes, becoming the 266th Pope, and successor of Benedict XVI. As soon as the final result of the vote was announced, cardinal Bergo-glio was immediately asked two questions: «Do you accept your election; and, then, what name do you choose.”

To the first question, he replied: “I am a sinner and I am aware of it, but I have a great trust in the mercy of God. Since you have elected me, or rather, since God has chosen me, I accept.” And to the second question, he replied: “I will be called Francis, in mem-ory of St. Francis of Assisi.”

On March 16, he explained the choice of this name to the representative of the communications media:

“Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor! ’

“And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man… How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!”

Left: Having just been elected, Pope Françis exits the Sixtine Chapel. On his right, Cardinal Claudio Hummes; on his left, the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Agostino Vallini. (Copyright Photo Service – L’Osservatore Romano 2013)

u

When a priest becomes a Bishop, he must choose a motto and a coat of arms. And when a bishop becomes Pope, he keeps the same motto and coat of arms, with the only difference be-ing that symbols of the papacy are added to his coat of arms.

Pope Francis’ coat of arms es-sentially represents the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph. The central symbol of the coat of arms is the Jesuit seal of a flaming sun with the Greek monogram IHS (Iesus Hominum Salvator: Jesus the Savior of Man) in the center. Under the sun, one can see the three nails of the Passion, which may represent the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

On the left, the star, according to heraldic tradition, represents Mary; and the grapelike bunch on the right rep-resents spikenard, the flowering branch often held by St. Joseph in his images in the Spanish culture.

The episcopal motto of Jorge Mario Bergo-glio, in Latin, Miserando atque eligendo (literally,

“Looking on him with mercy, he chose him”) is taken from a homily of St. Bede the Venerable,

commenting on how Jesus had chosen the tax collector Matthew to be one of his

Apostles, and reproduced in the Lit-urgy of the Hours for the feast of St. Matthew.

This homily of St. Bede the Venerable on Divine Mercy has a particular meaning in the life of Pope Francis. In

fact, on the Feast of St. Mat-thew (September 21) in the year 1953, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio experienced

at the age of 17 years, in a very special way, the loving presence of God in his life.

Following a confession, he felt his heart touched and sensed

the descent of the mercy of God, who with a look of tender love, called him to

the religious life, following the example of St. Ig-natius of Loyola.

The motto and coat of arms of Pope Francis



Devotion to Mary and the RosaryThe Italian magazine 30 Days reported in April

2005, after the death of Pope John Paul II, this testi-mony of Cardinal Bergoglio:

“If I remember well it was 1985. One evening I went to recite the Holy Rosary that was being led by the Holy Father. He was in front of everybody, on his knees. The group was numerous; I saw the Holy Father from the back and, little by little, I got lost in prayer. I was not alone: I was praying in the middle of the people of God to which I and all those there belonged, led by our Pastor.

“In the middle of the prayer I became distracted, looking at the figure of the Pope: his piety, his devotion was a witness. And the time drifted away, and I began to imagine the young priest, the seminarian, the poet, the worker, the child from Wadowice… in the same position in which he knelt at that moment, reciting Ave Maria after Ave Maria.

“His witness struck me. I felt that this man, chosen to lead the Church, was fol-lowing a path up to his Mother in the sky, a path set out on from his childhood. And I became aware of the density of the words of the Mother of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego: ‘Don’t be afraid, am I not per-haps your mother? ’ I understood the pres-ence of Mary in the life of the Pope. That testimony did not get forgotten in an in-stant. From that time on I recite the fifteen mysteries of the Ros-ary every day.”

The first act of Pope Francis, the day after his elec-tion, was to go to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, and to deliver a bouquet of flowers to the Virgin Mary. He placed it at the feet of the image of Santa Maria Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People), just as he had announced on the balcony of

St. Peter’s Basilica the evening before: “Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome.”

Reach out to those who are far away from the Church

It has been said that what convinced several car-dinals to vote for Bergoglio was the speech he made in front of all the other cardinals a few days before the conclave. Cardinal Bergoglio said:

“Evangelizing implies apostolic zeal. The Church is called to come out of herself and to go to the per-

ipheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mys-tery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignor-ance and indifference to religion, of intel-lectual currents, and of all misery. When the Church does not come out of herself to evangelize, she be-comes self-referential and then gets sick with ‘spiritual world-liness’. The next Pope must be a man who, from the contempla-tion and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the Church to go out to the existential per-ipheries, that helps her to be the fruitful mother, who gains life from ‘the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.’

Cardinal Ortega of Cuba was so im-pressed with the speech he asked the then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio for a copy of the intervention. Cardinal Ortega re-ceived permission from Pope Francis to share the information.

The Church — each one of her members — must be a missionary one. This is what will make the Church stay young. To go and bear witness to Christ not only through words, but through our lifestyle, with good-ness and tenderness. Let us joyfully answer this call of Pope Francis!

Alain Pilote

u

The Pope at prayer in front of the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani, in the Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome



On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, over 150,000 faithful gathered on Saint Peter’s Square to attend the last audience of Pope Benedict XVI (who officially re-signed the following day). On this occasion, the Holy Father gave words filled with hope for the future of the Church. Here are a few excerpts:

“I have always known that the Lord is in that boat (of the Church), and I have always known that the barque of the Church is not mine but his. Nor does the Lord let it sink; it is he who guides it, surely also through those whom he has chosen, because he so wished. This has been, and is, a certainty which nothing can shake. For this reason my heart today overflows with gratitude to God, for he has never let his Church, or me personally, lack his consolation, his light, his love.

We are in the Year of Faith which I desired pre-cisely to reaffirm our faith in God in a context which seems to push him more and more into the back-ground. I should like to invite all of us to renew our firm confidence in the Lord, to entrust ourselves like children in God’s arms, certain that those arms al-ways hold us, enabling us to press forward each day, even when the going is rough. I want everyone to feel loved by that God who gave his Son for us and who has shown us his infinite love. I want everyone to feel the joy of being a Christian. In one beautiful morning prayer, it says: ‘I adore you, my God, and I love you with all my heart. I thank you for having created me and made me a Christian…’. Yes, we are happy for the gift of faith; it is our most precious pos-

Benedict XVI appearing for the last time in public as pope in Castel Gandolfo, February 28, 2013.

“The Lord does not let the barque of the Church sink”session, which no one can take from us! Let us thank the Lord for this daily, in prayer and by a consistent Christian life. God loves us, but he also expects us to love him! ...

“Anyone who accepts the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and com-pletely to everyone, to the whole Church... The ‘al-ways’ is also a ‘for ever’ – there can no longer be a return to the private sphere. My decision to resign the active exercise of the ministry does not revoke this. I do not return to private life, to a life of travel, meetings, receptions, conferences, and so on. I am not abandoning the cross, but remaining in a new way at the side of the crucified Lord. I no longer bear the power of office for the governance of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, in the enclosure of Saint Peter. Saint Benedict, whose name I bear as Pope, will be a great example for me in this. He showed us the way for a life which, wheth-er active or passive, is completely given over to the work of God...

“Dear friends! God guides his Church, he sus-tains it always, especially at times of difficulty. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the one true way of looking at the journey of the Church and of the world. In our hearts, in the heart of each of you, may there always abide the joyful certainty that the Lord is at our side: he does not abandon us, he re-mains close to us and he surrounds us with his love. Thank you!

Benedict XVI



The Mass for the Inauguration of the Ministry of a new pope is usually an opportunity for the newly-elected Holy Father to give, in his homily, the general direction of his pontificate. For Pope Francis, this in-augural Mass took place in St. Peter’s Square on March 19, the solemnity of St. Joseph, which is provi-dential, since St. Joseph is the patron of the universal Church (through a decree of Pope Leo XIII in 1889). Here is the homily of Pope Francis given on this occa-sion:

Dear Brothers and Sis-ters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Jo-seph, the spouse of the Vir-gin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predeces-sor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of af-fection and gratitude.

I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Church-es and ecclesial Communities, as well as the represent-atives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the mem-bers of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.

In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and

gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mys-tical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

How does Joseph exer-cise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and si-lently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidel-ity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.

How does Joseph re-spond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus

and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faith-fulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this rea-son he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!

“Be protectors of God’s gifts !”Inauguration of the Ministry of Pope Francis

on the feast of Saint Joseph

St. Joseph is the Patron of the universal Church



The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, in-volving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respect-ing the environment in which we live. It means pro-tecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friend-ships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, every-thing has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are re-sponsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibil-ity, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hard-ened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, pol-itical and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of cre-ation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, pro-tectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accom-pany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Be-ing protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!

Here I would add one more thing: caring, pro-tecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tender-ness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to

others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be in-spired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which

marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, espe-cially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judg-ment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to pro-tect !

In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every

woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.

To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poor-est, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bish-op of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!

I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.

Pope Francis





Powerful Prayer to St. Joseph“O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so

strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.”

(It is believed that this prayer to St. Joseph may date back to as early as the 1st century A.D. In the 1500’s the Pope sent this prayer to the Emperor Charles as he was going into battle, with the promise that, “Whoever reads this prayer or hears it or carries it, will never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, nor will poison take effect on them. They will not fall into the hands of the enemy nor be burned in any fire, nor will they be de-feated in battle.”)

(Imprimatur, Most Rev. G.W. Ahr, Bishop of Trenton, NJ)(This prayer is available in wallet-size holy cards - card

stock or laminate) and can be ordered through our website - www.michaeljournal.org)

This is the story of one soldier’s faith in the powerful protection of St. Joseph through his devotion to this beautiful prayer above… and to the Blessed Mother through the “Miraculous Medal”…I am a retired military veteran of 33 years. I have

served in both the Viet Nam and the Iraq wars. My de-votion to St. Joseph through this miraculous prayer was handed down to me from both my grandfather and my father who were also Veterans having served in W.W.I & W.W.II. They both carried this prayer on their person all through the war, praying it faithfully daily, and both re-turned home from the war unharmed. I have passed out thousands of copies of the prayer to St. Joseph, along with the Miraculous Medals of the Blessed Virgin Mary to young soldiers leaving for Iraq and Afghanistan. It is my desire to share my own testimony of the power of this miraculous prayer.

I was stationed for my training in Fort Drum, N.Y. There were over 500 men and women soldiers in my Battalion alone. I know that at least 80% of these sol-diers were Catholic, yet I was the only one who went to Mass on Sundays. I decided that the first thing to do was to make sure that each soldier received a copy of

the prayer of St. Joseph along with a Miraculous Med-al of Our Lady. I was the squad leader and I did what I could to try to encourage everyone in my Battalion to attend Mass. I also called my family back home and asked them all to pray. After two weeks, I had two guys join me for Sunday Mass. Then within 2 1/2 months, with my family praying hard, we had 33 more soldiers going to Mass. Then once we deployed to Iraq, more and more soldiers joined us each Sunday.

In 2002 at the age of 57, our platoon was again being deploying to Iraq. I handed out this same prayer of St. Joseph along with a Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Mother to all the soldiers going with me; from the Com-pany Commander to the lowest rank. I only had one in-dividual who refused these religious items. One young soldier told me that he was not Catholic, but was of the Muslim faith. I told him that St. Joseph and Our Blessed Mother were for all, and that the very first promise of protection of the St. Joseph prayer says, “Whosoever carries it…” It does not say, “Muslims not allowed…” So, he decided to carry it, and still has it on him these 10 years later. This was the reaction of so many of the other soldiers as well. Many told me that they would keep this prayer on them for the rest of their lives. Any-one, whom I personally knew to have carried this prayer into battle, ended up making it back home.

One other very important episode which took place, happened to my older sister. One day while at her work, an elderly woman was explaining to her that her grand-son was in Iraq and in a very bad situation. The Grand-mother said that she was praying very hard for him and asked my sister to pray also. My sister asked her to ex-plain the situation her grandson was in. She said that he had written to her that his company was receiving very heavy casualty losses. His platoon especially, was losing 2-3 soldiers a week. My sister quickly advised her that she needed to send the prayer of St. Joseph to her Grandson. She then contacted me to obtain enough St. Joseph prayers for his entire platoon, and mailed them directly the next day. He wrote back to his Grandmother three months later saying that everyone in his platoon was now carrying the prayer of St. Joseph. Not only that, but since they had all started carrying it, they had stopped losing soldiers! He also finished the year in Iraq without another loss. Such is the power of prayer!

Now I always carry extra prayer cards in my back pocket along with the Miraculous Medals of Our Lady. I have them blessed by a good priest that I know, and I ask that he put three blessings on each of these items. The first blessing is for the soldiers going into physical combat. The second blessing is for the spiritual com-bat. The third blessing is for the conversion of sinners. I have seen so many miracles as a result of the reciting and carrying of this powerful prayer of St Joseph and the carrying of the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady. I pray that my testimony will be beneficial in helping others to discover this same devotion.

Staff Sergeant Patrick Chasse

A Soldier’s Faith



http://w.w.ii/


Christ’s

by Gilberte Cote Mercier

In our historyMarch is the month consecrated to St. Joseph.

The Work of “Michael” was placed under the protec-tion of Saint Joseph as of March 7, 1938. On that day the Social Creditors undertook a pilgrimage to the St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. It was Rev. Fr. Thomas-Marie Landry, theologian and philosopher, now de-ceased, who gave the sermon. The subject was: “It is good to be a Social Crediter when one is a Catholic, and it is good to be a Catholic when one is a Social Crediter.” This is a statement which we will never for-get and whose accuracy we have confirmed a thou-sand times. We honored (in this pilgrimage) St. Jo-seph, whose month it was, and St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast it was. We were in full economic crisis at that time. We asked St. Joseph to help our families to find their daily bread, and of St. Thomas Aquinas we asked that he open minds to the beautiful, liberating light of Social Credit.

A true fatherWas not St. Joseph the provider of the Holy

Family? It was he who was in charge of temporal af-fairs. Today in his glory, he must accomplish this same office; helping mankind again in this difficult task in life, especially fathers of families, of whom he is cer-tainly the patron.

I certainly desire that St. Joseph be honored as the patron of workers, but I would prefer to look upon him as the patron of fathers of families. Because I love the workers, I would prefer to see them under their crown of fatherhood, rather than their enslaving lunch box.

St. Joseph was a father first before becoming a worker. In the order of God’s gifts, he was without a doubt, more a father than a worker.

St. Joseph is Jesus’ father, Christ’s earthly father, and virginal father, since the father’s reasoning holds immensely more to the fact of loving his son effect-ively, than to the fact of having physically begotten Him. Physical generation is not what constitutes the essentials of fatherhood. The Eternal Father is infinite-ly Father and He does not beget physically. He begets spiritually. St. Joseph also begot Jesus spiritually. He loved Him from Mary’s womb. He protected Him. He looked for a cradle for Him. He suffered for this Child. He fed Him. He defended Him against Herod. He sac-rificed himself for Him, like a father. He brought Jesus up. He made a man of Him.

Joseph is Jesus’ father. He was delegated by the Eternal Father to represent Him on earth to His Only Begotten Son. “The Eternal Father is substantially fath-er,” said Thomas Aquinas. “All paternity in Heaven and on earth comes from the Eternal Father.” He chose a man to represent Him as Father to Christ Incarnate. To this man, Joseph, the Eternal Father gave, to an eminent degree, all the necessary qualities for being a father. And this man, Joseph, was Mary’s spouse.

St. Joseph is Virginal Father. This nobleness adds to his resemblance to God the Father and signifies that, St. Joseph is more a father than any other father on the earth.

Therefore, if Mary, Mother of Christ, became through this, the Mother of Christians, then why wouldn’t St. Joseph, Christ’s father, not also become, for this same reason, the father of Christians? Jesus is the Son of the Eternal Father and at the same time Son

Saint Joseph, Vicar of the Eternal Father Christ’s Virginal Father

St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, the largest church in the world dedicated to Saint Joseph



Christ’s

of Joseph. We are adopted sons of the Eternal Father, and why not also sons of Joseph?

St. Joseph is the patron of fathers of families and St. Joseph is the father of Christians. What peace for us my friends! We have temporal worries; let us pray to Saint Joseph. We struggle with monetary problems; let us pray to St. Joseph. We need a house to shelter our family; let us pray to St. Joseph. Taxes want to devour our homes; let us pray to St. Joseph.

Father of Canada In 1624, when Canada was only a tiny colony in

Quebec City, Father LaCaron officially consecrated Canada to St. Joseph. It was on March 19th, feast of St. Joseph. Later on the popes sanctioned this choice of Saint Joseph as Patron of Canada.

Blessed Marie of the Incarnation and Catherine of Saint Augustine, both among the founders of New France (Canada), affirmed having dreamt of St. Joseph being named by God, Father, Guardian and Defender of the country of Canada.

Madame DeBullion, on January 12, 1644, prom-ised to the Montreal Association, “a considerable an-nuity of 42,000 pounds, destined for the founding of a Hotel Dieu, built in the name of and in honor of St. Joseph, in Ville Marie (Montreal)”. This was the ex-pressed desire of this noble donor.

Venerable Jerome LeRoyer de la Dauversiere, founder of the Gentlemen and Ladies of the Society of Our Lady of Montreal, was a great devotee of Saint Jo-seph. He founded the congregation of the Hospitaliers Daughters of St. Joseph in La Fleche, France. Without delay the Montreal Association contracted a transfer from France to Ville Marie, of three Hospitaliers, taken from the Community of the Daughters of St. Joseph and “not from any other Institute”, according to the terms of the contract. Since then, (1659) these reli-gious Sisters of St. Joseph have devoted themselves to the sick at the Hotel Dieu of St. Joseph in Mont-real. LeRoyer de La Dauversiere had in his program to spread the devotion to St. Joseph in Canada.

All the founders of Montreal stated clearly in writ-ing their desire to build, on the island of Montreal, a kingdom to the glory of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, under the special protection of St. Joseph.

Is not the Basilica on Mount Royal, Saint Joseph’s Oratory, proof alone of the great protection of St. Joseph over our country? It was to one of our own French Canadians, Alfred Bessette, born in St. Gre-goire-d’Iberville, Quebec on August 9, 1845 and who later became the famous Brother Andre (canonized in 2010), that hundreds of thousands of visitors came to ask for miracles at the Oratory which he founded and dedicated to the great St. Joseph. In Montreal, on the mountain overlooking the Plains and the River, a sanctuary of miracles was built to the glory of Christ’s

father and the spouse of the Queen of the world. The most magnificent monument in the world, built for the glory of St. Joseph, is in our Canada, in our Montreal !

Model and strength of fathersSt. Joseph is ours. He was given to us by Heaven.

Obviously he belongs to others too, but more particu-larly to us in Canada. He watches over our country, over our families. Eternal thanksgiving be to God! Saint Joseph is the most excellent earthly father, mod-el and strength of other fathers on earth. Our fathers, the fathers of our families, their problems are serious today. They carry on their shoulders burdens that are too heavy, because the world has stripped them of their authority, of the power they used to have. The father of a family is a chief, a king, in the plan of God but God’s plan has been trampled upon. Crushed by those tyrants of the twentieth century, the financial ty-rants, and political tyrants, those who unfortunately, are so well served by the traitors of our fallen elite! High Finance has dispossessed the fathers of families, taken their land, their homes, their goods, all those things which are the necessary support of their pater-nal authority. The Financial system and the taxes have forced girls, boys and even mothers from the home, and finally even the father himself. Devastated, these families are dispersed, scattered, resulting in a total destruction of the family. Then, each of them, isolated in an anonymous and heartless crowd, end up at the mercy of all those merchants in human flesh.

To complete this massacre let us now add to it the corrupting influence of newspapers and radio/television. Our families have lost their traditions. Their institutions, hospitals and schools have been stolen away from them. It is only a matter of time before their churches too will be closed. Unfortunately, many of their priests have even abandoned them. Parents are attacked by their own children through the Ministry of Education and by indifferent and atheistic teachers.

Great St. Joseph, pray for us! Have pity on the families of Canada, which you took under your benefi-cial protection long ago. St. Joseph, you must still love us as much now as you did then. We are the ones who have stopped venerating you but we will begin anew. Wait for us, Saint Joseph, on your Mount Royal, we will come!

For it ever to become possible for the fathers of families to take their places once again in their own homes, in a country where they will be as kings, a great light must shine in the minds of men on the principles of family politics and on the actions of our politicians. MICHAEL is a great light for Canada. It must penetrate everywhere, everywhere! And the role of each one of us, of each one of you, my friends, is to introduce MICHAEL into the homes. Spread MICHAEL, to give it to everyone!

Gilberte Côté-Mercier



On Monday, March 18th, only five days after the election of Pope Francis, NBC and ABC both highlighted Argentinean’s president, Cristina Kirchner, denouncing the “medieval” views of the then Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis). Anchorman Ron Claiborne of ABC’s World News, praised President Kirchner, adding that hers is a “new view of a changing world – embracing gay marriage, sex education in schools, free contracep-tives in hospitals.” On that very same day, Hillary Clin-ton announced that she “is personally and publicly sup-portive of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry…” audaciously adding that “to deny (gay couples) the op-portunity (for marriage)…is to deny them the chance to live up to their own god-given potential.” (Human Rights Campaign Video)

“For the time is coming when people will not en-dure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)

As Pope Leo XIII prophetically stated in his encyc-lical Humanum Genus on the evils of Freemasonry, “…their ultimate purpose forces itself into view - namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious and polit-ical order of the world which the Christian teaching has produced, and the substitution of a new state of things in accordance with their ideas, of which the foundations and laws shall be drawn from mere nat-uralism.”

This spirit of Freemasonry has incrementally at-tempted to achieve its goal to destroy the Christian So-cial Order and to perniciously use the modern media at their disposal, to openly persecute the Roman Catholic Church and its Vicar, the Pope. There is an underlying

coordinated agenda of homosexual marriage, contra-ception/abortion and sex education being promoted throughout the world. Freemasonry is shaping a “New World Order”, “a changing world” that embraces a “new morality”, or so-called “moral relativism”, where there are no absolute truths –. Therefore, to oppose any of their agendas, such as attributing the sacred term of marriage to a homosexual lifestyle, one will be accused of a “hate crime” for going against what they consider to be their “human right”. In other words, what was once considered an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22) is now considered “good”. The public is forced to pay for contraception against their consciences and parents are made to accept hedonistic views of sex education for their children. All this, in contradiction to the Gos-pel and to our Faith, and is a total inversion of Christian Morality.

St. Paul warned of these deceptions in his letter, 2 Thess. 2:9-12: “The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pre-tended signs and wonders, and with all wicked decep-tion for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteous-ness.

Mary’s IntercessionIn 1917 St. Maximilian Kolbe witnessed the Free-

masons in Rome demonstrating openly and belliger-ently against the Church. “The Freemasons began to spark their demonstrations with more and more ef-frontery, even raising their banners under the win-dows of the Vatican – banners which depicted on a

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be our model, and protect all the families of the world !

Attacks on Marriage and the Family

black background Lucifer trampling underfoot the Archangel Michael. When they started to distribute vicious tracts against the Holy Father, the idea to es-tablish a company to fight the Freemasons and other agents of Lucifer was born.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe) The Knights of the Immaculata evoke the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary to “crush the head of the ser-pent” (Gen. 3:15) and all heresies, especially the errors of Freemasonry.

Let us consecrate ourselves totally to Jesus through the Victorious Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in order to live a life of holiness in true Christian marriages, where Christ is at its center. Let us also consecrate our families to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, educating our children in the splendors of the Faith and learning to live in that same harmony and peace of the home of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Yves Jacques

A Gospel of PleasureWherefore we see that men are publicly tempted

by the many allurements of pleasure; that there are journals and pamphlets with neither moderation nor shame; that stage-plays are remarkable for license; that designs for works of art are shamelessly sought in the laws of a so called realism; that the contrivances of a soft and delicate life are most carefully devised; and that all the blandishments of pleasure are diligent-ly sought out by which virtue may be lulled to sleep. Wickedly, also, but at the same time quite consistent-ly, do those act who do away with the expecta-tion of the joys of heaven, and bring down all happiness to the level of mortality, and, as it were, sink it in the earth. Of what we have said the following fact, astonish-ing not so much in itself as in its open expression, may serve as a confirma-tion. For, since generally no one is accus-tomed to obey crafty and clever men so submissively as those whose soul is weak-ened and broken down by the domination of the passions, there have been in the sect of the Free-masons some who have plainly determined and pro-posed that, artfully and of set purpose, the multitude should be satiated with a boundless license of vice, as, when this had been done, it would easily come under their power and authority for any acts of daring.

Teachings on Marriage What refers to domestic life in the teaching of the

naturalists is almost all contained in the following dec-larations: that marriage belongs to the genus of com-mercial contracts, which can rightly be revoked by the will of those who made them, and that the civil rulers of the State have power over the matrimonial bond; that in the education of youth nothing is to be taught in the mat-ter of religion as of certain and fixed opinion; and each one must be left at liberty to follow, when he comes of age, whatever he may prefer. To these things the Free-masons fully assent; and not only assent, but have long

endeavored to make them into a law and institution. For in many countries, and those nominally Catholic, it is enacted that no marriages shall be considered lawful except those contracted by the civil rite; in other places the law permits divorce; and in others every effort is used to make it lawful as soon as may be. Thus, the time is quickly coming when marriages will be turned into another kind of contract - that is into changeable and uncertain unions which fancy may join together, and which the same when changed may disunite.

Educational AgendaWith the greatest unanimity the sect of

the Freemasons also endeavors to take to it-self the education of youth. They think that they can easily mold to their opinions that soft and pliant age, and bend it whither they will; and that nothing can be more fitted than this to enable them to bring up

the youth of the State after their own plan. Therefore, in the education and instruction of

children they allow no share, either of teaching or of discipline, to the ministers of the Church; and

in many places they have procured that the education of youth shall be exclusively in the hands of lay-men, and that nothing which treats of the most im-portant and most holy duties of men to God shall be introduced into the instructions on morals.

Disintegration of the familyThe evil, too, is increased by the dangers, which

threaten both domestic and civil society. As we have elsewhere shown, in marriage, according to the be-lief of almost every nation, there is something sacred and religious; and the law of God has determined that marriages shall not be dissolved. If they are de-prived of their sacred character, and made dissoluble, trouble and confusion in the family will be the result, the wife being deprived of her dignity and the children left without protection as to their interests and well being.

Pope Leo XIII condemns Freemasonry and its agenda against marriage, family and education

Excerpts from the Encyclical Humanum Genus on Freemasonry, April 20, 1884



Christ’s

by Anne-Marie JacquesHabemus Papam! We have a Pope! These were

the words that resounded from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of March 13th, 2013 in Rome. The eyes of the world had been fixed on the “chimney”, awaiting the white smoke that would indi-cate the choice of a new Pope for the Roman Catholic Church. Many were surprised but quickly reassured as he made his appearance as Pope Francis and asked the people gathered in St. Peter’s square, as well as those watching through the media all over the world, to pray to Our Lord, imploring His blessing upon him as the new Vicar of Christ. As he humbly bowed before them, there was complete silence in the crowd. Every-one present closed their eyes and bowed their heads to pray for the new Pontiff, thanking God for this man who had instantly won their hearts as well as the hearts of all those throughout the whole world who were watching at that moment…

“Mother may your gaze renew our hope.” (Words of Card. Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 6, 2009.)

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, home to the National Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina. The people of Argentina, wishing to recognize the great devotion and love that their beloved former Cardinal, now Pope, has for Our Lady of Luján, are presently having a special chal-ice created for him by the famous Argentinean goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols. Pallarols, who likes to involve the public in his creations, has invited the multitudes to “chis-el their mark” in this special chalice, as it passes through

each diocese, giving everyone an opportunity to “person-alize” this special gift which will then be presented to the Pope from the people of his country. Featured on one side of the chalice will be the image of Our Lady of Luján, and on the other side, Mary Untier of Knots, a devotion which Pope Francis himself became acquainted with while still a young priest studying Theology in Germany. He then purchased a replica of the famous painting and brought it back to Argentina, to introduce and personally promote this devotion amongst the people.

History of Our Lady of LujánThe history of the small statue of Our Lady of Luján

or as she is known to the people of Argentina, Nues-tra Señora de Luján, which is enshrined in the Basilica of Luján, is a very remarkable one. In the year 1630 a Portuguese farmer, Antonio Farlas, came to establish himself in the small village of Sumampa (Santiago del Estero), in the Province of Cordova in Argentina. He was saddened when he realized that his neighbors did not share his faith in God and there was no chapel or even a small shrine in which to visit and pray to the Mother of God. He decided to write a letter to a friend in Brazil, asking him to send him a statue of the Blessed Mother. Not knowing which Virgin to choose, his friend sent him two small statues both made of terra cotta, - one of the Virgin with the Child Jesus and the second of the Im-maculate Conception. (Note – this was long before the official proclamation of the Dogma by Pius IX (1854) on the Immaculate Conception.) He had them first deliv-ered by boat across the sea, then loaded onto a cart to be carried inland to Sumampa.

It would seem that the Portuguese settler was merely an instrument of God who, through his pious determina-tion, had served to bring about an even greater good. The small statue of the Blessed Mother with the Child Jesus did finally reach its destination, travelling over 1150 km (almost 715 miles). It was enshrined and be-came the object of veneration to the local people under the title of Our Lady of Consolation. However, the little statue of the Immaculate Conception would never reach Cordova…

The small caravan of carts pulled by horses and oxen left Buenos Aires and travelled for about a day, stopping at the ranch of Don Rosendo for the night. The group was all set to leave early the next morning but the oxen pulling the cart that contained the statue of the Im-maculate Conception refused to advance. The men tried everything to get the animals to cooperate; they even added extra oxen to help with the pulling, but still to no avail. Then they decided to unload some of the boxes thinking that the animals might be tired. It was only after

Our Lady of LujánMother of the Poor and Humble, Patroness of Argentina

Cardinal Bergoglio in front of the Basilica of Luján

Christ’s

the box containing the statue was unloaded that the ani-mals finally began to move forward. If the statue was reloaded onto the cart, the animals would once again refuse to move. After many attempts, the men finally understood that something miraculous was happening-the Blessed Mother did not want to leave this place.

It was determined that the statue would have to be left behind, so it was given to Don Rosendo, whose family was overjoyed to welcome Her into their home. There was a young black slave named Manuel who was among those travelling in the caravan. He had been brought from Angola in Africa when he was very young and had been sold as a slave in Brazil. He was 8 years old at the time of the miracle and he begged to be left behind to look after the little statue of the Virgin. Don Rosendo made the arrangements with his owner and Manuel had the joy of sharing the same room with the miracu-lous statue in the Rosendo home. Manuel made it his own personal mission to devote his life to the care and devotion of this image. He also devoted much time to those in need, especially caring for the sick. Some say he even per-formed miraculous cures with the wax from the candles that burned before the image.

News of the arrival of Our Lady’s statue and the miraculous way in which She had chosen to remain in this region spread far and wide among the people. Pil-grims began to flock in large num-bers to the Rosendo home and it soon became evident that the little house was too small to accommo-date so many visitors. Encouraged by Manuel, Don Rosendo built a small chapel in the grasslands where the Virgin could be kept and venerat-ed and Manuel became Her full time sacristan. After the death of Don Rosendo, the place became almost com-pletely deserted, but Manuel still remained faithfully at his task. In 1674, Dona Ana de Mattos, a wealthy widow of the region who owned much land, went to see Fr. Juan de Oramas, administrator for the estate of Don Rosendo and obtained from him the permission to re-move the statue from the primitive little chapel. She had it placed in a chapel in her own home for veneration, but a strange thing happened… Despite the fact that the chapel was locked up for the night, it was discovered in the morning that the little statue had disappeared! It was later found in its original place back at the little wooden chapel on Don Rosendo’s land! When Dona Ana brought the statue into her home a second time, placing someone at the entrance of the chapel to guard it during the night, the same thing happened; the statue

mysteriously returned to the little wooden chapel !

After consulting the Bishop, it was decided that the statue should be brought in a solemn procession from the Rosendo’s ranch to Dona Ana’s chapel. The people of the region accompanied Her, and leading the procession was the humble Manuel, faithful servant to Our Lady. This was now the third attempt to install Our Blessed Mother’s statue in the de Mattos chapel. This time though, Manuel would be officially named as her personal caretaker. With Her favorite sacristan to care for Her, Our Lady was obviously happy, and she chose to remain in Dona Ana’s chapel. Manuel continued his labor of love, caring for the little statue and the chapel, and visiting the poor and the sick. One day Our Blessed

Mother spoke to Manuel, telling him on what day he was going to die and promising that he would come to Heaven. He died a very holy death on the date that She had predicted and was buried in a tomb at the foot of the altar where Our Lady is enshrined.

The StatueOur Lady of Luján, the beloved

Nuestra Señora of the Argentinean people stands only about twenty inches high. Her face is dark and oval shaped; her blue eyes are wide and open and gaze into the distance. She is surrounded by a golden aureole and clothed in a mantle of light blue with a white dress, the colors of the flag of Argentina. On her head she wears a gemmed crown with over 350 diamonds, sapphires, rubies and about 130 pearls, a gift from Fr. Jorge Maria Salvaire, a Lazarist

missionary who had been rescued from being executed by his indigenous captives, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lujan. Pope Leo XIII blessed this crown, and a solemn coronation of the statue took place on May 8th, 1887, only eight days before the first stone was laid to begin the building of the present day basilica (granted this title by Pope Pius XII on December 8th, 1930). Mir-acles of cures and conversions continue to take place to this day, as Our Blessed Mother continues to welcome Her children from every part of the globe.

We thank you, Dear Lady of Luján, Mother of the Poor and the Humble, for your gift of Pope Francis to the world as Vicar of Your Son’s Church. Please grant him the strength and the courage to faithfully lead the Barque of Peter in these difficult times that we live. May he live that spirit of his holy patron, St. Francis, to “…serve the poorest, the weakest, the least import-ant.”

Anne Marie Jacques



Social Credit is one of the main achievements of the 20th century in terms of monetary innovations. It solves poverty and depressed economies and pro-vides a basic income to all. It reclaims the currency monopoly in the hands of the banking cartel, without centralizing power in State hands.

Social Credit was developed by Major Clifford Hugh Douglas, who penned a book with the same name in 1924. Its major breakthrough in terms of eco-nomic understanding is the so called “Gap” or the A + B theorem. This refers to the gap between total income and total value of production, the latter being always higher than total income. As a result, society never has enough income to buy all of its own production. Not only does this lead to depressed economies and to ever mounting debt to compensate for this lacking purchasing power, it also creates a strong incentive for corporations to look for markets elsewhere.

The “Gap” is a crucial notion. It is undeniably true that there is a structural lack of purchasing power in the economy. This is fundamental part of structural unemployment, for instance. Please see the diagram below for quantification of the gap.

Douglas also noted another trend in the economy: automation. He foresaw a time when many people were basically no longer necessary in the production process. These people are called the useless eaters by our masters, but Douglas, being a real human being, understood that production serves consumption and that the economy exists to feed the people, not the other way around.

To solve the problem he came up with an eminent-ly practical and simple solution: let the Government print debt-free money to be spent into circulation by the people. Everybody should get an equal amount of money, whatever their income or asset position. The amount of money to be printed should equal the lack of purchasing power in the economy. If this is done correctly, it could be done with stable prices: the infla-tion in terms of a growing money supply would serve

to buy up production for which there are insufficient funds available and thus would not lead to price pres-sures...

Social Credit compared to the Greenback

With the Greenback I mean a debt free paper cur-rency spent into circulation by the Government. So-cial Credit is vastly superior to the Greenback as a way for Government to provide currency. The fact that the cash is handed out to the populace to be spent into circulation not only ends poverty and solves the prob-lem of the Gap, it also prevents the massive power centralization of the State that is associated with the Greenback.

When Government can print its own cash, not much good can be expected from it. True, it’s much better than letting a private cartel do it, but most people suggesting the State should print its own money equate that with the notion that the people would be printing their own money. This, to my mind, requires an extraordinary leap of the imagination.

Government is not the People. If kept small and in its cage it can be of use. But it is a threat always. It’s hard to think of a Government in human history that was not owned lock stock and barrel by the Plutocracy behind the scenes.

The simple fact is that Social Credit is probably the closest we will ever get to the notion of ‘the People printing their own money’, as they can spend it them-selves. It truly is THEIR money.

The US Government, equipped with a debt free dollar would undoubtedly be an even worse threat to the world at large than a deeply indebted one.

Also, if Government can spend its own money into circulation, it would have a very strong incentive to badly inflate the money supply. This is what seems to have happened to the Chinese Emperor’s units and also to Washington’s Continental.

Conclusion

Social Credit undoubtedly was a major breakthrough. Its analysis is sound. Its solution provides a basic income to all, ending poverty and wage slavery. It does not empower Govern-ment, but the people.

It may be the best way for Government to provide currency. It certainly is the best debt-free unit there is... Modern Social Crediters have proposed combinations with interest free credit. Of course, a money supply based entirely on interest-free credit also looks like a very viable option.

Anthony Migchels http://realcurrencies.wordpress.com

Social Credit: a major breakthrough

http://realcurrencies.wordpress.com/

Several priest and bishops who have studied the financial proposals of Scottish engineer Clifford

Hugh Douglas — known as Social Credit or Eco-nomic Democracy — and then spread by Louis Even in MICHAEL, have become themselves enthusiastic supporters of these proposals. Why? Because they understood that these proposals would be an excel-lent way to apply the social teaching of the Church.

In 1967, Louis Even wrote the following article, to pay homage to Fr. Edward Lavergne, founder and pas-tor of Notre-Dame de Grace Parish in Quebec City in 1924. Fr. Lavergne was also a great supporter of Doug-las’s economic democracy, which brought him much persecution, which he endured in a most heroic way right up until his death).

by Louis Even“Social Credit would

especially benefit the poor”But what was it that brought about Fr. Lavergne’s

loyalty to the Social Credit doctrines? Was it a result of long dissertations on techniques in matters of fi-nance and economy? — No, and even less, was the idea of seeing emerge a new political party to dispute the powers of each “side”, when (each party) had al-ready successively disappointed the hopes of the en-tire population. No, it was none of these things! Fr. Lavergne himself told us one day what it was: “What I appreciate in Social Credit is that its application, with its dividend for all, would especially benefit the poor.” Meaning not only the poor of his parish, but also all the poor of the entire country. And further, the example of Social Credit that would be given by our country would bring about the application of Social Credit elsewhere in the world.

Some hold fast to the doctrine of Social Credit, written by Clifford H. Douglas, because of its logic and its perfect conformity to reality, and they are not mis-taken to do so. Others maintain this doctrine because they see Social Credit as the best weapon for oppos-ing Communism in the economic and social terrain; and they also are right. But when good Fr. Lavergne says: “Social Credit would especially benefit the poor”, he is speaking from the heart. He is expressing an argument of great veracity. One that is well worth

contemplating for it brings into light the true signifi-cance of Social Credit.

What then must be done in order for the poor who are deprived of the goods of this world to bene-fit from this? We can supply them with material goods, this is true, but more importantly we must first deliver them from their humiliating circum-stances, being made to feel like social burdens, af-flicted and trampled upon…conditions to which they so often feel reduced.

IncompleteMuch progress has been made since the 1930’s

for a better social reform and because of the work of MICHAEL, many admit today that, society does not have the right to leave people and families in poverty. Measures have been established, known today as So-cial Security, which have certainly eased some situa-tions, but it still remains that the recipients remain in a status of assisted. They are subjected to investiga-tions and re-investigations, not to mention the many delays, vexations, restrictions, rationings…those on the receiving end know…and it is pointed out to them often enough, “if you are receiving aid, it is because others have worked to obtain it for you.” This “aid” is drawn from the taxes that are imposed on those who earn an income due to their own contribution to production. In other words, the taxes are drawn from people’s earned wages. The poor then, must be made to know that they are living off of money that was not earned by them, but rather from the work of others, and that society accepts this obligation in order to support them, but that that they (the poor) are never-theless, all parasites.

Is this how we shall rehabilitate the poor? By pro-curing for them the “bare essentials”, do we really hope to ever raise them out of their humiliating condi-tions? Is this really how we will set them free from the crushing realization that they are a burden to society?

CompleteBut in what way is the Social Credit dividend dif-

ferent from the Social Welfare system if both provide, let us say, the same amount of money to those poor who are without income?

It is completely different, precisely because it is a dividend. A dividend is the income of a capitalist. It is not alms for the poor. Neither is it wages linked to an

A Dividend to All for the Distribution of God’s Generous Abundance

“Social Credit would benefit everyone, most especially the poor”

Louis Even

u



employment, subject to taking orders from someone else. There is no humiliation attached to a dividend. The dividend is the income of a free man. It leaves complete freedom to the capitalist as to the use of his time as well as the choice of his career.

The dividend as proposed by Social Credit would be completely a social dividend, drawing the income from a “social capital” and giving it to each and every citizen. Every citizen would be recognized as a cap-italist and therefore treated as a capitalist. Every cit-izen, whether poor or rich, earning or not earning, employed or unemployed, healthy or sick, an infant in the womb or the elderly person living out his last days - everyone receiving the same social dividend. Thus, all capitalists on the same level based on a production that is not the result of the work of employees, or from the money of greedy capitalist investors.

Do you think for one moment that good Fr. Lavergne could ever remain insensitive to the pros-pect of an economy that would begin by ensuring all his parishioners, as well as all the citizens of the coun-try, a capitalist status and the right to a periodical divi-dend? Without ever having to deal with bothersome preliminary investigations, the dividend check would arrive monthly in the mail, or as a direct deposit to a bank account, as do the Social Security pensions to-day.

The poor would no longer feel as though they were a “burden” to society, living off the income that has been taken from others. They too would be capital-ists, at the same level as even the largest sharehold-ers of the country, receiving their share of the commu-nautary resources through their social dividend.

Everyone a Capitalist— But that would still be money that has not been

earned!

Yes, precisely. It would be free money. Free be-cause the largest aspect of production is free, espe-

cially modern production.

— And what determines that the production is “free”, or that it is “owed” to anyone?

- First of all the natural resources were created by God, without any human contribution. They are a free gift from God, created even before man himself was created, but prepared especially for him as a habitat where he, and all the generations that would follow after him, could live. This is by far the largest and most gratuitous aspect of production: the earth, the sea, the rivers, the forests, the waterfalls, the minerals in the earth and its ores, the rain that waters the crops, the sun to ripen the fruits and the harvests…without these natural resources, what could a laborer ever produce, and to what purpose would the investments of capital-ist’s dollars serve?

God is therefore the creator of this abundance of production and He chooses to give it generously and freely to all of mankind, to be at the service of every human being, and not just certain individuals or priv-ileged groups.

Social Function- Is this then a condemnation of private ownership

of land, or the exploitation of natural resources and means of production when it falls under the category of natural resources’ belonging to the community?

— No, not at all. Simply said, no matter which method or means is used for production, it must al-ways facilitate, and not block, the universal destina-tion of goods. What we call private ownership, along with its privileges and responsibilities, is much more of a management before God and humanity, than an absolute ownership. In keeping with the natural predis-position of the human person, while at the same time contributing to the enrichment of the talents and char-acter of the owner, private ownership of the means of production maintains a social function. Whether the goods come from a private company, a capitalist cor-poration, a co-operative, or a nationalized institution, it is still the entire community, all the members of soci-ety who, in some way must benefit from it.

The method of production is one thing. The means of distribution is another. Both must be or-dered according to the same goal: first, to effect-ively determine and provide the amount of goods needed in order to meet the demands of the consum-ers; second, to make these goods accessible to the consumer with the least amount of difficulties and without loss to the producer who’s just profit is pro-portioned with his personal contribution to the main-tenance and flow of the products and services.

Isn’t the mere fact that products are offered on the Community Market recognition of this principle, the universal destination of goods? And if there were not a deficiency of purchasing power, and if the purchas-ing power were guaranteed to all, as with the Social Credit dividend, this universal destination of goods

u

Three books on Social Credit

To study the cause of the present financial crisis, we offer these books on Social Credit at a special price (shipping included):

Social Credit in 10 lessons: $12.00 In this Age of Plenty: $25.00 From Debt to Proserity: $10.00



would be carried out, while at the same time permit-ting the producer to receive his just profit through the sale of his product. In a financial system, this is a sim-ple question of monetary accounting, adjusted for the true purpose of production.

Cultural InheritanceAnother free aspect of production – free in the

sense that it was not acquired by anyone, not even those who use it today – is the inheritance of those generations now living. It is the “know-how” accumu-lated and transmitted over the years. All the discoveries made and improved over the centuries, all the progress of technology – all those things without which modern production, even if more time and more effort were put into it, would not be, as we know it today. Even just the mere fact of living in a community, our existence as a society, has allowed for these achievements to be safeguarded, developed and transmitted over the cen-turies. This too is a free aspect of production.

Thus it is all these things – the gifts given to us from the hands of the Creator and the inheritances received from generations past – all these things which comprise a free contribution to production. A true social capital, not earned by anyone and of which everyone is, to the same degree, co-capitalists and co-heirs. This abundant capital is free to all through a

share in the fruits, which are the result from it.

Admittedly, this portion of the natural resources and of progress, though free, is not enough to pro-vide the goods required to meet all the adapted needs of each human being. The ground must still be culti-vated, wood must be cut, the ores must be extracted from the earth, a whole series of processes still need to take place in order to arrive at any finished product…and, undoubtedly, none of this can happen without the precious collaboration of producers. But this, in no way, impedes the right of anyone to a Social Credit dividend. Just as the shareholder of an industry does not lose his right to his dividend from his investments, even though it is not he, but the employees who make this capital bear fruit. Everyone is therefore, co-owner and co-heir of the exploited social capital.

Gratuitousness Without HumiliationAs one can plainly see, there is a difference be-

tween the dividend and social welfare, even if both are capable of putting the same amount of bread on the table. In the dividend there is a rehabilitation that takes place, a lifting up, so to speak, of the human person, which we do not see in today’s welfare system. But above all, in an economy with the Social Credit divi-dend there would no longer be anyone deprived of the necessities of life.

u



With each citizen receiving his own dividend, it would no longer be possible as is with welfare, for anyone to say, “This money that you are receiving was earned by others; it was taken from others to en-able you to live.” The Social Credit dividend would not be money that was initially earned by someone else, then taken from them to be distributed in dividends to all. Rather, this money would be the fruit of a free capital. No one having earned it, the dividend cannot be taxed; it is a free dividend, which takes nothing away from anyone. The priority of the dividend is its purchasing power. This is what solidifies the rights of everyone to their share in the gifts of the Creator, and in the inheritances of past generations. Instead of hu-miliation, it will be a joy to receive this gift touching on our inheritance, a joy that Social Credit would bring to everyone!

An Increasing DividendMore and more we are seeing social capital taking

prevalence over human labor when it comes to pro-duction. There would be even less labor except that a major part of the economic activities today consists in producing perfectly useless products that are non essential to man. This is exactly what prompted the founder of Social Credit, engineer Clifford H. Doug-las, to establish that, “more and more the purchas-ing power should come from dividends and less and less from wages.” Especially as we see productivity increasing, without any increase, and even in a reduc-tion of human labor.

If this conception of economy were understood and adopted, wages would actually have decreased rather than increase because of the reduced hours of labor, but the Social Credit dividend would increase considerably. This would be satisfactory to everyone, since the sum of both (wage and dividend) would as-certain that production would be distributed, and that all needs would be met. Instead, because the Social Capital has been ignored and a social dividend refused to all, producers, wage earners and capitalists have gone from conflict to conflict, always finishing by rais-ing their own respective remunerations, and incorpor-ating into their own salaries and their own profits what should legitimately have been distributed as dividends to all. This thievery – because, in reality, this is what it is – this robbing of the dividend that is due to every-one, their own dividends included, transforms into cost, what should actually be given in gratuity to the people. An ever-increasing inflation, which satisfies no one, not even the thief, even less those being robbed.

Many other defects of the current financial sys-tem could also be gradually, and quickly corrected by an economy providing a dividend to all. The cur-rent concentration of producing power, just to men-tion one, that is in the hands of only a few powerful people, has brought about the development of vast industries, which have drawn the masses into crowd-ed cities. Family life has been nearly destroyed. Night shifts have workers working around the clock. Sun-days have become an average workday. All this, de-

u



spite the fact that machines have facilitated the work of men! Is it no wonder then that workers in these conditions become irritable, robotized, depersonal-ized? A dividend to all would release these slaves of the present system, making it possible for them to even consider forming their own smaller, more per-sonalized companies, working towards making of today’s progress, a servant to all instead of the giant “ogre” that it has become.

But, for the establishment of a dividend economy it would be necessary, first of all, to eliminate the mor-al defects of the current financial system. To work in support of a flourishing new economic climate that would be favorable to men, encouraging good rela-tions between them.

The WealthyWould the wealthier classes of society also have

a social dividend? Absolutely, since they too, like the rest of society, are joint owners and co-heirs of the social capital.

Obviously, the dividend would be of greater ser-vice to the poor, as Fr. Lavergne understood so well… “What may seem as a crumb for the rich person, is a whole loaf of bread for the poor.”

But we might add that the fact that the rich would receive the same dividend as the poor may possibly do them some good. It could even lead them to cor-rect their errors of judgment, a fault that is so common among those of their class – this is a different kind of poverty that wealth in dollars risks worsening.

In order to better understand this, let us say that the dividend for everyone would be $1000 per month, or $12,000 per year, and that Mr. Dupont’s large indus-trial investments bring him about one hundred times this amount per month, therefore about $1,200,000 per year.

Well, despite Mr. Dupont’s considerable personal income, he would still only receive, though ridiculous-ly insignificant to him, the same dividend per month as his poorest neighbor. Before that, Mr. Dupont prob-ably would not have hesitated to allot to himself all the merit of his profits. Maybe even musing: “I have done well for myself in life, I have succeeded. I have gained much. I skillfully placed my profits. This good fortune which I enjoy I only owe it to myself and I will surely continue to succeed.” It is easy then for Mr. Dupont to completely forget that a good part of his accom-plishments were initially due in fact, to the preliminary existence of the natural resources created by God, and through processes of production which continued to improve over the ages and which were handed down through the generations by our predecessors, and all of this through no merit of his own.

But if our Mr. Dupont, though rich in dollars, has not completely lost all capacity to reason, receiving this humble sum of $1,000 per month just might cause

a new note to sound in this hymn to his fortune: “I did not earn this $1,000 any more than any other mem-ber of the community. It is as much for me, as for the poor Joe up the street. It is a gift from God, a legacy of the past, to which I have not contributed at all. In fact, and this is something that I have never thought of before, it may be more than just my own merits that have gone into this annual nest egg of $1,200,000, to which I have been gratified. What would I have today if it had not initially been for the wealth of natural re-sources created by God for all men? And what if there were no ordered and established society allowing for a division of work, and the acquired competence of others to cause my investments to bear fruit?”

The social dividend is capable of bringing about an amazing conversion on the part of Mr. Dupont, whereas his large annual “nest egg”, worth consider-ably more, was only making of him an egoistic social blind-man, totally unaware of just where this was lead-ing him in his life.

A Touch of ChristianityIn a sense this demonstrates that the Social Cred-

it dividend encompasses a kind of “sacredness”, by means of the material relief, which it brings to the poor, and by the salutary effect it can evoke in the hearts of others.

In any event, this dividend, based on the produc-tion that it represents and given freely to all without reference to any social status or acquired fortune, does it not remind you a bit of a common table, around which all may sit as brothers and receive with thanks-giving, what we were taught by Christ himself to ask our Heavenly Father for: “Give us this day, our daily bread”? (Matt. 6:11)

Louis Even

If you have just moved or are about to move, it is very important to send us your new ad-dress. If you do not send us your new address, the post office returns your MICHAEL Journal to our office and we sustain a fine for each journal thus returned. Thank you!

Make sure MICHAEL moves ...with you !

Moving?



by April HelenekWhen attending The Year of Faith “kick off” Catholic

Conference this fall, one of the speakers was reminding us of St. Lawrence in third century Rome. This was the man whom, when realized by the Prefect of Rome for having possession of the Holy Chalice of which the Apostles drank from during the Last Supper, was asked by Rome to give up the “Jewels of the Church”. Law-rence asked permission for three days in order to gath-er these possessions. He was granted this request, and then he proceeded to disperse as much

Church property to the poor as he could and returned back to the coun-cil empty handed. When asked once again for the “Jewels of the Church”, he walked out, returning once more, but this time with all the poor people from the city. He presented them to the council saying, “These people here are the Jewels of the Church”. Of course he was seen as a provoker and was burned alive, but not without a little sense of humor, telling the Roman soldiers to flip him over once he was “done” on one side.

As I listened to the story of this courageous Saint I thought to myself-, “If I were asked to bring forward the “Jewels of the Church” what would I have presented?” At that mo-ment I saw the magnitude of my own vocation… valid-ating my passion, and final-ly appreciating where all my gifts lie… I realized that my choice of “jewels” would be children. God had enabled me to recognize that each and every child contains Christ Himself. I suddenly felt honored to have been granted this gift of being able to see Him in them, and I came to a realization that this seed had been planted strategically, and sown beautifully through all God’s little “happen-ings” in my own life experiences. This incredible passion for children has grown immensely since I have begun my journey homeschooling my own family, while also bene-fiting others through creating the St Lucy’s Homeschool Adventure Group which has been immensely blessed and its success indicative of Our Lord’s guidance.

Almost four years ago, my husband Jae and I were challenged by the Holy Spirit to keep our children home longer than the typical age of 5 years old. I didn’t feel that I was the type of person, or parent, that would be home-schooling, but our oldest daughter Piper was showing us that she was obviously not ready to leave home. The decision to homeschool her was no easy feat. I was two years away from graduating from nursing school and my self-employed carpenter husband was working very hard so that I could go to night school while he worked during the day. We felt as though we were doing what

“good contributing Amer-icans” were supposed to be doing…but God had other plans….

Rewinding a few years… Jae and I were liv-ing the Dream, or so we thought, of fun, sun, and more fun. We were resid-ing in a beautiful part of California and were slip-ping down a slope lead-ing ultimately away from our Heavenly Father and His unending love for us. Jae was wrapped up in the world as a professional snowboarder. I had worked my way up the business ladder as a Massage Ther-apist, and at the age of 22, I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime; to take over the company that I was working for. We were living in the world and we were hooked. God however, had His own plan to win us back to Himself, despite all the selfish choices we now real-ize that we were making, He

gave us Piper and everything began to change…Piper came into the world quiet and strong, and because of her very special personality, we are here today thanking God for every sunrise and sunset…

Rewarding the prayers of my good mother, God put the urge into our hearts to move back home to the East Coast, and for the next 7 years there was trial after trial, and on our knees we went. At the very peak of our “spiritual re-boot”, Piper, at 2 1/2 years old, ended up in the hospital knocking on death’s door due to a five-day-old ruptured appendix, disguised as the “flu”. The doc-tors had not detected a rupture since her little body was not showing the right symptoms for what was happen-

Our Children, the “Jewels” of the Church

The Helenek family



ing inside of her, and there was not the high temper-ature characteristic of an infection this dangerous. For five days Piper quietly suffered, crying out only once from the pain, until she finally stopped breathing in my arms. She was then admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and during her three-day stay, before she was cleared to the regular hospital, braces were strapped to her arms forcing them to stay straight and we were only able to give her a water soaked sponge that was attached to a little plastic stick. Significantly this all occurred during Lent, and it was my devout Catholic mother who pointed out to us the images so incredibly similar to our very own Christ on the Cross. Here was our 2 ½ year old child lying in a bed with tubes coming out of every hole, collapsed lungs, dead-ly fluid swelling her tiny little belly... needing me… and I wasn’t even strong enough in my faith to call upon God to save her…

St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the Franciscan Friar re-sponsible for giving us The Divine Praises, reminds us so beautifully of just how incredibly merciful Our Lord is towards sinners, “He created us so that we can be with him for eternity, not damn us to hell… God is so good that when He sees a sinner running to his ruin, He runs after him, calls him, entreats and accompan-ies him… what will He not do to convert him? He sends him good inspiration and holy thoughts, and if he does not profit from them… will He strike him? No… But the sinner is not converted yet. God sends him a mortal illness. It is certainly all over for him. No, brothers, God heals him; the sinner becomes ob-stinate in evil, and God in His mercy looks for another way; He gives him another year, and when that year is over, He grants him yet another…”

God knew what he was doing…by using this one little child many hearts would be transformed. Through this “miracle” that He was about to perform Jae and I

would be mercifully led back to Him, and looking back, I realize that God had designed Piper for just this role… She was a very sweet child, and very quiet, for 2-½ years old she wasn’t speaking much. But once again, this had to be so…in order that one other incident could be “effective”… One month after Piper was admitted to the hospital, the doctors released her back home to us. She was given more antibiotics than we even knew existed and everyone crossed their fingers and prayed. That very night the four-inch wound that the staples had only just been removed from earlier, opened up from the inside out. We were told to drive her immedi-ately back to the emergency room 45 minutes away. Jae drove as fast as he could while I sat in the back seat next to my little baby girl. This was when I finally began to fully realize what was and could be happening to my first-born.

There was a flurry of white wet snow that night, and as we drove down the highway I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the white dots hitting the car. As I watched each drop I felt what I could only describe as a “heavenly feeling”. It came over my entire body, and it seemed as though every prayer that was being said all over the country (summoned by my mother) for Piper’s life was literally coming right into the car at that mo-ment. The feeling was so overwhelming that I began to cry, realizing that I was helpless in this battle to save Piper’s life. Piper saw me crying and asked me if I was sad? I told her that I was, and she sweetly followed up with, “Well then, why don’t you pray?” I could not believe what I had just heard from my non- communi-cating, suffering child’s mouth. (Keeping in mind that I was NOT a praying person) As Jae and I both looked at her, and then at each other in absolute astonishment, I asked her what we should say. Our 2-½ year old then suggested that we say the Hail Mary, a prayer that she had only heard in the presence of her beloved grand-mother (my mother). To this tiny little person who was enduring so much, God gave just the words necessary

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Your works are wonderful, I know that full well……When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” Psalm. 139:13-16

Piper in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

u



that would bring me back to the Rosary after 10 years of refusing to say this “thought-to-be meaningless” prayer.

This motion to pray by that weak little girl, and the realization that I had not yet asked God to save my own child’s life haunted me. How had I gotten where I was, I wondered? My parents had brought me up Roman Catholic with a devotion to the Rosary which we prayed together every night. They literally went above and beyond when it came to teaching the nine of us the importance of involving Our Lord in every-thing we did, even moving our family five hours from the only home we had ever known to be closer to a strong Catholic Community. In addition, my father commuted the five hours to and from his job every weekend in order to make it possible for my mother to remain home and mind the seven of us still living at home. Through their prayerful and loving example, they not only instilled this message of God’s great Love and infinite Mercy into my siblings, and myself, but also into my husband-to-be who was from a broken home, and became a “regular”, frequenting our home, taking part in our working and praying together. So, why had I become so removed from my Lord that not even in my darkest hour did I call on Him or His Most Holy Mother for help?

The only possible answer was that I had willed myself out of that practice. I had come to believe that I was in charge of my life and I was proud of that. Hu-man relationships and affections had become so im-portant to me that if it meant I would have to re-write the Catholic Catechism in order to fit my life and the lives of the people I “loved”, than I was willing to do that, and I had… I had convinced myself that the Ros-ary was old and was only good for those who couldn’t think of any prayers of their own. I would say, “Ros-ary sayers are those who don’t have a relationship with our Lord; that’s not me!” Jae and I were both still attending Mass and even going to Confession, (probably due to the prayers of my good mother) and undoubtedly receiving graces from this, but we were both thoroughly lacking in understanding.

When Piper left the hospital two months later and ten pounds lighter, as the child that should not have

survived and left the Doctors scratching their heads be-cause she was, as one surgeon of 20 years stated; “the sickest child he had seen; not only to survive, but to be able to WALK out of the hospital”, it was only then that I finally embraced the realization that Our Lord is the One to put all the pieces together; for me and for my family. His love for us is limitless. It has now been three years since Piper’s “miracle” – and so many more “miracles” in between — and as the seeds planted in our hearts continue to grow, Jae and I are becoming stronger, not only in our knowledge and faith in God, but most importantly, in our desire to know, love and serve Him.

I was close to earning that nursing degree that I was working so hard towards, and the income that it would have brought us would have contributed very nicely to our family’s simple life, but the Holy Spirit put into our hearts the call to homeschool our children. We didn’t understand everything at the time, and we knew NOTHING about homeschooling, only recently having been introduced to the idea through a family member, but once again, the “seed was planted” in our hearts, and we chose to humbly obey God’s urging. Then very quickly we began to witness how the responsibility of educating our children academically as well as in the Faith was creating in us a need to learn more, and we both began to grow rapidly in our own Faith. We had given our “YES” to God, and surrendered our will to His Will. Now we were able to see His plan for us, and as we share this story of our journey of conversion and homeschool experiences we are awestruck at what God has been capable of in us, and we are grateful to Him for having entrusted to us these “jewels” of the Church.

April and her husband Jae reside in Massachu-setts where they homeschool their four children. April is the founder of the St. Lucy’s Homeschool Adventure Group, which enriches the lives of over forty home-schooling children.

u

May 8-18: week of study

on Social Credit

May 19-25: Siege of Jericho

Two important events in Rougemont in May:

Toronto monthly meetingsApril 14, June 9, August 11, 2013

Lithuanian Hall, 1573 Bloor St. W.(One block west of Dundas Subway Station)

Rosary at 2:00 p.m. — Meeting at 2:30 p.m.For information call: (416) 452-6639

Rougemont monthly meetingsApril 28, May 26, June 23, 2013

House of the Immaculate, 1101 Principale St.

For more info call: (514) 856-5714 or (450) 469-2209



IT SUPPORT PERSON: Can you install LOVE?

CUSTOMER: I can do that. I’m not very technical, but I think I am ready to install now. What do I do first ?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma’am?

CUSTOMER: Yes I have, but there are several pro-grams running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: What programs are run-ning ma’am?

CUSTOMER: Let me see.... I have PASTHURT.EXE, LOWESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.

IT SUPPORT PERSON: No problem. LOVE will automatically erase PASTHURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOWESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGHESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs pre-vent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma’am?

CUSTOMER: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RE-SENTMENT.COM have been completely erased.

CUSTOMER: Okay, I’m done. LOVE has started in-stalling itself automatically. Is that normal?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Yes it is. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?

CUSTOMER: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEARTS in order to get the up-grades.

CUSTOMER: Oops... I have an error message al-

ready. What should I do?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: What does the message say?

CUSTOMER: It says “ERROR 412 – PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS”. What does that mean?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Don’t worry ma’am, that’s a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicat-ed programming things, but in non-technical terms it means you have to “LOVE” your own machine before it can “LOVE” others.

CUSTOMER: So what should I do?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Can you find the directory called “SELF-ACCEPTANCE”?

CUSTOMER: Yes, I have it.

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Excellent, you are getting good at this.

CUSTOMER: Thank you.

IT SUPPORT PERSON: You’re welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the “MY-HEART” directory: FORGIVESELF.DOC, SELFESTEEM.TXT, REALIZEWORTH.TXT, and GOODNESS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete SELFCRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

CUSTOMER: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with really neat files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that WARMTH.COM, PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART!

IT SUPPORT PERSON: Then LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go...

CUSTOMER: Yes?

IT SUPPORT PERSON: LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they will return some really neat modules back to you.

CUSTOMER: I will. Thank you for your help.

How to install “Love” Software...


http://resentment.com/

http://sentment.com/

http://warmth.com/

http://contentment.com/


Make sure to renew your subscription before the expiration date. (The first line on the label indicates the year and month.)

Printed in Canada

CONVENTION 40063742

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Head office:MICHAEL 1101 Principale St., Rougemont, QC, J0L 1M0 Canada

Return undeliverable U.S. addresses to:MICHAEL P.O. Box 38 Richford, VT 05476-0038 U.S.A.(U.S. subscribers who want to contact us should use the following address: P.O. Box 86, South Deerfield, MA 01373)

U.S. Postage Paid Permit No, 11 Richford, VT 05476USA

“Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be dis-appointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.” — Homily of Pope Francis for Easter Vigil, March 30, 2013

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Date post:	24-Jun-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is now POPE ... · For the Triumph of the Immaculate...

Documents