Author: Mark Docherty

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was NEVER an unwed mother

Today is September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.

Sometimes you just have to laugh when God so clearly presents you with your task for the day. Remember, He planned for you to be alive in this world at this very moment; you were born for this, and His expectations are not a null set. Incredibly, my task today is to explain ancient Jewish marriage rituals. As it happens, there are Jews in my family, so I have first hand knowledge of how this works. The traditional rituals are virtually the same today as they were at the time of Christ.

But first, may I just say, you really need to get to know your Mother, the glorious and immaculate Virgin. The more love you have for her in your heart, the more room in your heart for Christ, and the more willing He is to dwell there. In the first hour of her birth, Mary bore more glory than all the Old Testament saints, and in that same hour, had already attained more sanctity than all the New Testament saints while they yet lived.

Your greatest confidence is to be entrusted to your Mother, who gave us the wedding at Cana as the first glimpse of her under the title Virgin Most Powerful. Gospel of John, chapter two. Wine runs out, Mary asks Jesus to help, Jesus says no, Mary doesn’t take no for an answer. Nope. GOD INCARNATE OVERRULED BY MOM. Not only does Jesus give in to Mary’s request, not only does He make more wine, really good wine, like the best wine evah, He makes 150 GALLONS OF WINE. Oh how the prots must hate John 2.

Now of course, Mary knew perfectly well that her request was aligned with Christ’s divine will, and that He would carry it out accordingly. God, being perfect, cannot act against His own will, and a creature cannot order God around. But here we have Christ as a model of the Fourth Commandment, even as he is yet God. This same dynamic plays out today, inside the Beatific Vision. Let’s just say the Holy Mother of God is… influential. He listens to her, and she wants to obtain and deliver great graces for you.

Folks, pray the Rosary every day.

So here is the deal with Mary’s marriage to Joseph. In the Jewish tradition, there are three steps to the marriage ritual. Today, all three steps happen on the same day. In ancient times, there could be long periods of time between the steps, especially the last two steps (up to a year). But the key point is this: The spouses are really married, lawfully married, at the very first step. This is the signing of the Ketubah, the marriage contract, which is countersigned by the parents.

The next step is espousal/betrothal in the Kiddushin, followed by the final step of Nissuin. Traditionally, these could take place up to a year apart, during which time the couple do not yet live together. This was the case for Mary and Joseph. Today the two rites take place minutes apart in the same ceremony, with the couple standing together with their parents under the huppah.

But what does the bible say?

Part of the confusion comes from our encounter with the Annunciation, which appears only in Luke. After explaining the miraculous conception of the Forerunner, Luke lays out the Annunciation and the Visitation, followed by the Nativity of St. John. The only term used in the first chapter of Luke is “espoused/betrothed,” which people misconstrue into thinking they were only “engaged.”

However, if you turn to chapter two and the birth of Jesus, you will see in Luke 2:4-5:

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.

WIFE. That is why Joseph, before he was visited by the angel, had decided to quietly divorce Mary (under the old law). You don’t divorce someone you’re not married to.

But the bigger clincher is from Matthew:

And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations, from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations. And from David to the transmigration of Babylon, are fourteen generations: and from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations. Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.  Matt 1:16-20

“JOSEPH HER HUSBAND”

So there you go. Please feel free to use this as the need arises. Happy Feast!

Time running out: Sign up with Dr. Mazza to learn the history they never taught you in school

Folks, this is truly a huge opportunity. I can’t think of someone I’d rather have conducting these courses. I guarantee he is going to make this fun, and we are going to learn so many things we can’t believe they never taught us in school. Or worse, they taught us lies.

$450 for both 13 week courses. That’s $35 per week. Figure it out. This is Dr. Mazza’s only source of income at the moment, because he got fired for being Catholic. Scroll down below and see the list of topics. I promise you will get more than your money’s worth. Click on the links to go over to his site to sign up.

Don’t worry about the start time (6pm PDT, 9pm EDT)… everything will be recorded and viewable at whatever time works for you. Join me!

edmundmazza.com

Recorded & Live Online Church & World History Courses

UPDATE: SALE EXTENDED by popular demand! Enroll now: cost is $300 for one course or $450 if you sign up for both for the Fall semester.

Happy to report that Mazza history classes will be recorded and available to view outside of actual class time!

If you’d be interested in Live (and recorded) Online Church History & World History courses with Dr. Ed, please enroll by selecting one of the enrollment buttons below. We will tentatively start Church History 101 on Tues Sept 15th at 6 pm PDT (and finish on Tues Dec 22nd, NO class on Tues Nov 3rd: Election Day). In January 2021 we hope to offer Church History 102 (AD 1213-2013) and World History 102 (AD 1300-2013). Content: Ages 13 and up.

Classes will tentatively run approximately 70-80 minutes. Q&A will follow for 10 minutes or more for those who can stay. We will have quizzes and I will suggest readings. No tests. No pressure. Tentative schedule below:

We will tentatively start World History 101 on Wed Sept 16th at 6pm PDT (and finish on Wed Dec 23rd, NO class on Wed Nov 24th: Thanksgiving Eve). Classes will run approximately 70-80 minutes. Tentative schedule below:

Church History 101: Acts (AD 33) to Albigensians (AD 1233)

  • 9/15 Acts of the Apostles
  • 9/22 Apostolic Fathers & Popes & Gnostic Heresy
  • 9/29 Fathers: Eucharist & Martyrdom
  • 10/6 Constantine & Arian Heresy
  • 10/13 St. Augustine & Manichaean Heresy
  • 10/20 Pope St. Leo & Monophysite Heresy
  • 10/27 St. Anthony & St. Benedict & Monasticism
  • 11/10 Justinian & Theodora & Hagia Sophia
  • 11/17 Islamic Heresy
  • 11/24 Iconoclastic Heresy & Eastern Schism
  • 12/1 Empire & Church
  • 12/8 Crusades
  • 12/15 Cathedrals & Universities
  • 12/22 St. Dominic & The Rosary & The Albigensian Heresy

World History 101: Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica

  • 9/16 Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel
  • 9/23 Greece
  • 9/30 Greece
  • 10/7 Roman Republic
  • 10/14 Roman Empire
  • 10/21 Christians
  • 10/28 Age of Constantine
  • 11/4 Age of St. Augustine
  • 11/11 Barbarians & Benedictines
  • 11/18 Islamic Civilizations
  • 12/2 China
  • 12/9 Mongols
  • 12/16 High Middle Ages
  • 12/23 Mesoamerica

Princeton wokeness inconveniently enumerates 570 violent riots among ‘mostly peaceful protests’

Woopsie! But I guess now that they are trying to call them “Trump’s riots,” we will start to see more of this. Things are going to get very desperate.

Below is the link to the 23 page report. I urge you to click on it and read just the first two pages, where they set the scene in what they must imagine are the most objective of terms. Your mind will be blown. These people are too far gone to even engage in rational discourse, which is a thing they’ve convinced themselves doesn’t exist anyway, because it’s just a racist construct.

Click here are read for two minutes: https://acleddata.com/acleddatanew/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ACLED_USDataReview_Sum2020_SeptWebPDF.pdf

Meanwhile:

Portland police declare riot on 100th straight night of protests as ‘fire bombs’ hurled at officers

Police said “fire bombs” were thrown at officers during the protest overnight.

ByMorgan Winsor September 6, 2020, 5:08 AM• 6 min read

Protests continue across US, demanding justice and equality

Protesters took to the streets for a third night in Rochester, while Portland marked a 100th day of protests and demonstrators in Louisville marched through the city before Kentucky Derby.

The 100th consecutive night of protests in Portland quickly escalated into a riot Saturday as people hurled “multiple fire bombs, mortars, rocks and other items” at officers, police said.

One of the homemade bombs caught a community member RIOTER on fire. Medics offered treatment at the scene, and the injured individual was later taken to a hospital by a private vehicle, according to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau.

“This criminal activity presented an extreme danger to life safety for all community members, and prompted a declaration of a riot,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement early Sunday.

More than 50 people were arrested overnight, including at least two who were clad in body armor. One individual was armed with a dagger while another had a knife, police said. The names of those arrested and their charges were not immediately released.

“Every city, every town…” and they mean it.

First, get yourself spiritually prepared.

Next, get yourself materially prepared.

“Every city, every town, burn the precincts to the ground.”

Their flag says, “Death to America.” This is not a drill.

Trump Bans Leftist “Critical Race Theory” From Federal Agencies

Next step: Withhold federal funding from schools that teach it. If undoing the indoctrination is even possible at this point, it starts here. Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us.

The Trump administration announced late on Friday that it was cracking down on “critical race theory,” a far-left anti-American ideology that promotes racial division, from being taught in federal agencies and paid for by federal money.

The memo released by Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, called critical race theory “divisive” and “anti-American propaganda,” adding that the far-left ideology falsely promotes the notion that “there is racism embedded in the belief that America is the land of opportunity…”

The memo states:

“These types of “trainings” not only run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception, but they also engender division and resentment within the Federal workforce. We can be proud that as an employer, the Federal government has employees of all races, ethnicities, and religions. We can be proud that Americans from all over the country seek to join our workforce and dedicate themselves to public service. We can be proud of our continued efforts to welcome all individuals who seek to serve their fellow Americans as Federal employees. However, we cannot accept our employees receiving training that seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”

Critical race theory falsely promotes the notion that institutions are inherently racist “and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color,” Britannica reported.

One recent example of critical race theory that was exposed was at the National Museum for African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which promoted the racist and bigoted notion that the following things were bad because they were part of “whiteness”:

  • Self-reliance
  • Nuclear family unit
  • Objective, rational linear thinking
  • Hard work is the key to success
  • Work before play
  • Respect authority
  • Competition is good
  • Progress

https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-bans-federal-money-from-funding-far-left-anti-american-critical-race-theory

Going to a restaurant in Rochester is racist

Is it safe to assume that law abiding restaurant patrons had nothing to do with whatever happened or didn’t happen to a naked madman high on PCP? Do we imagine they are all glad he died and are gloating in their whiteness?

Even the NYT knows Kyle Rittenhouse was in retreat, at risk of grave harm, and didn’t shoot first

Not that shooting first even matters, but still. The law in most states, when it comes to civilian deployment of lethal force, is the “reasonable person” standard. As in, given similar circumstances, would a reasonable person conclude that there was a threat of grave harm about to be inflicted, and did they first attempt to move away from the threat. Kyle was running away and being pursued by a mob when forced into the first confrontation.

Full link https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/us/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooting-video.html

Keep in mind, this article is written by people who think guns are evil, riots are peaceful, and Mary Poppins is racist… and they have already convicted Kyle in their own minds. They don’t even realize that their own investigation exonerates him.

While Mr. Rittenhouse is being pursued by the group, an unknown gunman fires into the air, though it’s unclear why. The weapon’s muzzle flash appears in footage filmed at the scene.

Mr. Rittenhouse turns toward the sound of gunfire as another pursuer lunges toward him from the same direction. Mr. Rittenhouse then fires four times, and appears to shoot the man in the head.

Happy Saint Sarto Day!

Today is the Feast of Pope St. Pius X, who took on the Modernists at a time when they had already begun their infiltration of the Church. Modernism, the synthesis of all errors, must be rightly understood before it can be fought. Helpfully, Pope Sarto laid it all out for us on 8 September 1907 in PASCENDI DOMINICI GREGIS. Folks, this encyclical was absolutely key to my own red pilling on what has happened in the Church and in the world. When I first read it, twenty years ago, it was like scales falling from my eyes.

You must read the whole thing, so the link is provided below. But here is part of his setup, from the second paragraph. Now, you are going to think to yourself, “Man, this sounds like it could have been written yesterday.” So remember, it was already this bad in 1907:

“The partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church’s open enemies; they lie hid, a thing to be deeply deplored and feared, in her very bosom and heart, and are the more mischievous, the less conspicuously they appear. We allude, Venerable Brethren, to many who belong to the Catholic laity, nay, and this is far more lamentable, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church; and, forming more boldly into line of attack, assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man.”

Like that time when antipope Bergoglio DENIED THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST?

So go read the whole thing. Learn the ways of your enemies. You will be horrified, but you won’t be disappointed. 

Pope St. Pius X, pray for us.