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You will find some conflicting views from some of these authors. You will also find that all the authors are deeply concerned about the future of America. What they write is their own opinion, just as what I write is my own.


Sunday, December 1, 2024

Elon and I

 By Anna Von Reitz

Who could imagine that a Great-Grandma in Big Lake, Alaska, could have something in common with a Tech Titan with a name like "Elon Musk"? 

Still, apparently, both of us were blessed by being mentored by a Pashat warrior in the form of a stray black cat. 

Most people are superstitious and avoid, or are cruel, to black cats, but that would be and is a terrible mistake.  Black cats are lucky as a wind blowing widdershins. 

Both Elon and I arrived at that point in our lives where we needed a friend and neither one of us could name that need, nor could we expect a friend to show up in the unlikely form of a stray black cat, but.... it all happened for both of us, and in exactly the same way. 

The cat appeared, the cat looked us straight in the eyes, the cat followed us to the door of our building, and then, the cat waited for us outside. 

I wasn't as smart as Elon and didn't get it the first time this happened. 

I assumed that the cat belonged to someone who lived in my apartment building and didn't overly concern myself or understand that this Pashat visitor was mine in any special sense, until the weather turned bitter and cold and the cat grew skinny and tattered and frost draped his whiskers and fur. 

Then, I dimly thought --- his family must have abandoned him.  Maybe I should take him in?  

Elon's business was in an office building, not an apartment building, so it was pretty obvious that his cat was not waiting for other family members.  His cat was waiting for him to finish the meetings and phone calls and computer searches of the day, and many hours later, was still waiting when Elon emerged from his office building again.  

Something prodded the billionaire, not the weather, not the disheveled appearance of the cat --- something else; a sixth sense that this particular cat was, inexplicably, somehow, attached to him. So, Elon picked him up and carried him home, more than a little bemused about the situation. 

Had he become an "accidental cat owner"?  

Nonetheless, a veterinary service was tracked down, the cat was cleaned up and cared for and fed and everything put in order. 

I had an exactly similar reaction to my visitor.  Same exact drill at the vet's office.  

It seemed as if it must be a mistake and the cat's real owner would show up at any moment.  The idea that I might be the cat's and the cat might be mine, didn't settle in for many days and nights afterward, but one thing impressed itself on me.

The cat followed me to the door every morning and waited at the door for me to return every night.  In the evenings, he would curl up beside me.  On weekend mornings, he would wait a decent amount of time and allow me to sleep in before waking me up with a head butt and a purr in the ear. 

The same thing happened to Elon Musk.  Every night, no matter how late, the cat would be waiting.  

Gradually, the unlikely accidental cat became mine and I became his, in the same exact way that Elon Musk was captured and loved and "became love" in a way he couldn't have imagined before. 

All because of a cat. 

Having had this love relationship with a cat, one is never the same, and it's quite impossible to explain how you ever merited it, because you didn't.  This is a gift, entrusted to you, by the Ancient and Honorable Kingdom of Cat. 

It just happens, one day as you are bumbling along in your busy day-to-day schedule, a miracle wrapped in fur arrives, and it's your cat. And while he knows that he has always been your cat, you will have to learn that you have always belonged to him, too.  

Humans, even the sharpest and most intuitive, can be a little dim. 
And take a while to catch on. 

Reading Elon's Cat Story as if it were my own (because, in a way, it was) and understanding his reactions blow-by-blow as if they were my own (ditto, ditto) was a little weird. I never considered that he and I might have anything in common. 

Much less the memories and the soul-changes that are the inevitable result of a very special relationship with a cat. 

Yet, so it is, and if we ever meet, I know that in a given moment, Elon Musk will look at me and I will look at him, and something deep inside of each of us will connect: our cats. 

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Why You Need Us and We Need You

 By Anna Von Reitz

The only purpose of a legitimate government is to protect the people and their assets.  

That's it.  One job, really. 

As you have learned by now, what you mistook for your government was actually a swarm of government subcontractors that snuck through the backdoor after the so-called Civil War and proliferated for decades under False Pretenses.  

These jokers have operated under color of law the entire time.  

They have never actually been your government.  They have been commercial corporations and they have also organized as municipal corporations, but at the end of the day, they are not and never were and cannot be sovereign and independent entities. 

No, in fact, with respect to you, Americans, French, German, Italian, British, Canadian, Aussie, Japanese..... (the list goes on), these purported service organizations are corporations like General Motors, Incorporated or Raytheon, Inc., or EXXON.  

Even their departments and agencies are just separate corporations: the Department of Justice, Inc., the State of Texas, Inc., FEMA, Inc., and so on.  

And they are all run amok. 

Subject to the world of corporate buy-outs and mergers, asset stripping and bankruptcies, hostile take-over bids, and short selling, these "governmental services corporations" have been bought and sold and their policies have zigged and zagged all over the map as their CEO's and Boards of Directors have come and gone --- and without you ever knowing this --- these unelected persons running these corporations have honored the Constitutional contracts or not, have been run by communists (frankists, fascists, etc.) or not --- and many of these institutions haven't been operated by Americans at all. 

After decades of this madness, the problem is identified for what it is, and the answer is here: populate and operate the actual government. Your government.  Take back the power and enforce the contracts. 
It's your birthright.  It's your assets.  It's your money.  Your credit.

You are the inheritors. 

And so are we.  

The unincorporated American States Assemblies have opened their doors and begun functioning for the first time in over 150 years. 

These venerable nation-states were called into Session in 2019, and despite many hurdles, these all-volunteer, entirely grassroots organizations ---  which are not incorporated and will never be incorporated (which would give up their sovereign nature) --- have persevered and taken many actions to protect you and yours. 

In 2020, your State Assemblies enrolled all the Western States as true States of the Union, finishing off the process mandated by the Northwest Ordinance which was in limbo for decades, and protecting millions of Americans in the Western States, securing the Constitutional Guarantees they are owed, and protecting their lands and mineral resources from seizure for foreign corporate debts. 

In 2021, your State Assemblies passed the first Public Law in over a hundred years, declaring that no American would be considered a Genetically Modified Organism as a result of receiving genetically engineered and patented scraps of DNA in the Covid-19 injections, and would not be considered property subject to claims by the patent holders. 

In 2021, your States of the Nation also chartered the first American Treasury since 1787, and with it, the Bilateral Banking System that is needed worldwide. After nearly four years in development, it's ready to launch a whole new era of honest banking and prosperity. 

If you missed today's release, "International Public Notice: We Called It" issued on December 1st 2024, please read it and understand the profound implications for you, your family, your country, and the world. 

In 2022, your Federation of the States of the Union, prevented Queen Elizabeth II from selling her ten percent "tributary interest" in American gold to the Chinese and forestalled Chinese mining companies from showing up in this country to forcibly extract it. 

In 2023 and 2024, your State Assemblies and their Federation have stood firm on enforcement of our country's Southern Border and have exposed the nature of the so-called "North American Union Treaty"; they have also led the world in exposing the harm done by the organizations that promoted the Pandemic, the Federal Reserve Banks, and the illegal politically-motivated prosecution of Americans labeled January 6 Protestors.  

Today, your State Assemblies and your Federation of States are your Voice, speaking up against the unspeakable genocides taking place in Gaza and the Ukraine, against biological warfare, against weaponized geoengineering, against "lawfare" --- that is, weaponized corporate tribunals used to illegally confiscate labor and material assets, against the unconscionable contracts that have been used to entrap unwary Americans in service to foreign corporations, and against human trafficking of all kinds. 

These protections and services and more have been put in place by your friends and neighbors staffing your government, and doing what needs to be done: populating and operating the actual government and enforcing the Constitutional services and guarantees owed to the people of this country. 

Unlike corporations, we can't be bought or sold; we are not subject to stock splits, bankruptcies, and changes in ownership.  The American people are our Boards of Directors.  We don't tax you for our operations. We don't threaten you.  We do what a government is supposed to do: every day, in every way, we strive to protect you and your assets.  

That's why you need us, and also why we need you.  It's only by working together that we can achieve the needed results. 

Many people have heaved a big sigh of relief following the November Elections, happy that Donald Trump will be back in control of the government corporations as of late January 2025, but be aware, that's only part of the story.  As good as Trump is, he's a corporate employee and those corporations are owned by foreign powers. 

Ultimately, Donald Trump is not the answer to the problems we face.  He's just a better answer than Harris. 

You are the ultimate answer and we are calling on you to be the heroes in your own story.  Populate your government of, for, and by the people of this country.  Take the necessary and proper steps to declare, record, and publish your chosen birthright political status as an American State National.  Then join your State Assembly. 

We stand in the doorway of a history-making epoch and the stakes couldn't be higher.  

Will criminals succeed in reducing mankind to slavery, or will these proponents of Corporate Feudalism be thrown down and punished as they deserve? 

Will mankind enjoy an era of unprecedented abundance, freedom, and peace ---- or will we be depopulated, denigrated, and displaced? 

We can create the outcome we desire, but we have to stand together and contribute the work and the financial support it requires.  We have to volunteer, we have to donate, and we have to be determined. 

Each month your Fiduciary depends on you to do your part toward reclaiming your inheritance, maintaining your records, and supporting your actual government.  Contribute whatever you reasonably can in support of the government that supports you. 

As we prepare to represent you, the living people, in settlement conferences this winter, we need you to understand that you are not debtors.  You are creditors.  

We need you to understand that you are Floridians, Virginians, Wisconsinites, Ohioans, Texans, and Oregonians.... and that you are not naturally U.S. Citizens or citizens of the United States, either one. 

We need you to embrace the new energies flooding our planet and entering our lives, not with blind trust, but with observing and open minds, ready to accept what is good and reject what is evil. 

If you are done with evil and deceit and war, join with us in support of truth and honesty and peace.  

Be sure and read today's "International Public Notice: We Called It" so that you understand the world currency situation and where the prepaid credit (in part) comes from.  

Be blessed and blessing be!  

Granna 

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International Public Notice: We Called It

 By Anna Von Reitz

We told you there was no "National Debt" --- just a lot of dishonest bookkeeping.  We told you that the Federal Reserve was trading on Blood Money --- the labor, inventions, and performances of living people who never owed the Federal Reserve Banks a penny.  We told you that the seigniorage from the debt note currency was being stolen from the American people as a result of the foreign Federal Reserve monopoly. 

We exposed how the issuance of a single Federal Reserve Note I.O.U. garnered not only the seigniorage (difference between the cost of printing and face value of the "note") plus the goods and services exchanged for the I.O.U. initially, but also resulted in a cascade effect, where repeated exchanges of the notes resulted in more and more actual goods and services being exchanged for the same I.O.U. during the useful life of an individual Federal Reserve Note. 

That is, a single $10 Federal Reserve Note garners $10 worth of actual goods and services each time it is exchanged, and that same note could be exchanged over 3,000 times before it gets too tattered to continue in circulation.  That's $30,009.96 in pure inequitable profit per $10 Federal Reserve Note, realized as actual goods and services ---- and that is what generates the "debt", because the actual goods and services are never paid for

Who ultimately owes this debt?  The commercial corporations masquerading as our government, which go bankrupt, and foist this debt back onto the victims of this crime.  

As long as this "system" continues, the debt accumulates on one side of the ledger, and all the credit for all the goods and services received is simply ignored.  The books are never balanced. 

This creates the appearance of an ever-accumulating  "National Debt" on the part of the American people, when in fact the American people have been paying in goods and services, over and over again, the entire time. 

The fraud artists running the banks have been quick to charge us interest on this illusory unspecified "national debt" --- which is in fact their debt to us. 

Not only are Federal Reserve Notes a complete fraud against the Public, so are any and all "Debt Note" currencies.  

When they realized that the game was up for the Federal Reserve Note, they tried to switch to "United States Notes" purportedly backed by gold.  

But whose gold would be backing these "USNs"?   Ours.  The same victims as before would be paying for this, only now the Perpetrators would be trading directly on our hard assets and charging us for using our own gold and silver as "their" money.  

Let's get this straight.  None of this is theirs. Both the assets and any credit generated from the assets, is ours. Any profit generated by the practice of usury -- that is, interest charged on loaning either our hard assets or our credit -- is ours, not theirs. 

Bad bookkeeping and constant inflation of the currency is the only way they kept this scheme afloat for as long as they did, and now, it's going down the tubes where it belongs, but consider --- are Federal Reserve Notes actually "value-less" when they have been used to capture mammoth amounts of actual goods and services?  

Who, actually, owes the "National Debt"?  

It's not the commercial corporations that have claimed our bankruptcy protection and palmed it back onto us.  We don't own those corporations. Those corporations are owned by the Popes, the Lord Mayors of London, and the British Monarchs. They are the Principals and Shareholders and Beneficiaries.  Not us. 

The American People have been grossly defrauded by their Federal Employees and Subcontractors, who have acted in Gross Breach of Trust and Violation of their Service Contracts --- the Constitutions. 

So the FRNs are toast, the USN's also, and their next ideas, SDRs and CBDC's --- "Special Drawing Rights" and "Central Bank Digital Currencies" --- were never well-thought out, and have failed on their own lack of merit.  What next? 

Cliff High just published a podcast this morning, December 1st 2024, entitled (don't blame us) "Trump Fucked Up!" in which he presents this information as something yet to come -- offers to fix the system (QFS), offers to "rebirth" the system (USNs), offers to rethink the system (CBDCs) -- and he somehow missed the point that all of this has already happened and already been rejected. 

We are left with the fact that in the Great Cyber Reality of Energy and Matter, (1) billions of people have been defrauded by a monetary system run "in our names" by foreign Subcontractors of ours; (2) we've been the chief victims of this breach of trust; (3) their National Debt results in a vast National Credit owed to us and to other nations that have been victimized by this. 

We need to balance the books.  

Debt, like credit, is a relatively ephemeral thing.  Once you realize that "Federal Reserve Notes" are chits like poker chips and merely represent credit or debt, depending on which side of the table you are on, you can see that Federal Reserve Notes --- from our side of the table --- represent vast amounts of prepaid credit. 

We already paid, multiple times over, with actual goods and services, for every single one of those Federal Reserve Notes, so instead of owing them as debt -----for us and all the other living people, Federal Reserve Notes represent prepaid credit.  They acquired that value every time they were exchanged for actual goods and services. 

Read that: from the standpoint of living people, Federal Reserve Notes represent prepaid credit, not debt. 

The sensible thing to do, is to collect all the Federal Reserve Notes and reissue them, plus the seigniorage, plus the interest we've been charged, as prepaid credit certificates, PCCs.  As we have already paid for the credit in actual goods and services, multiple times over, there can be no objection to this.  

These new prepaid credit certificates are by definition "asset backed" already.  

The guilty Principals responsible know that this is true, and are simply trying to avoid the fact that even credit instruments are now asset-backed. 

There is no way left for them to weasel things around and pretend that they are owed any debts at all.  Not in fact (gold or silver).  Not in the realm of credit (plus and minus on a ledger).  

For the first time in human history, we are faced with a situation in which there is no debt. There is only abundance. 

So let's enjoy it. We've earned it. And then some. 

For the religious among us, this is the Double-Golden Jubilee that the rats have delayed for over 800 years. 

For Mr. Trump --- wake up, get with the program, and benefit everyone on Earth instead of threatening everyone with 100% tariffs on imported goods.  

This is a time for free and honest trade, kindness, compassion, common sense, and brotherly love. 

We told the United States Mint to strike the new coinage over two years ago, have issued the American Federation Dollar (AFD) ---gold backed--- for active trading, and are in the short term issuing our Harmony Digital Coin as a means of sharing the largesse of prepaid credit.  Slightly longer term, we are issuing Valorum-style cash instruments and Prepaid Credit Certificates. 

You, Mr. Trump, need to stop struggling with something you apparently don't understand, and come along with us to a far better world than you are currently imagining.  

Issued by: 
Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary
The United States of America
In care of: Box 520994
Big Lake, Alaska 99652

December 1st 2024

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International Public Notice: Cosmic Night

 By Anna Von Reitz

All life and being is generated by light and manifested by sound. 

If we had paid attention to the Ramayana and Hindu Vedas, we could have learned this long ago, but we were too arrogant and prideful.  
What could prancing half-naked Hindu gods teach us, right? 

Our loss.  

Every 25,920 years, our solar system gimps its way into a new House of the Zodiac.  You have been hearing about this event most of your lives with references to the Age of Aquarius and songs about it on stage in popular musicals and all sorts of New Age gurus prattling on about it, but tonight, November 30th 2024, the Solar Forces are about to engage and pass the threshold into Aquarius. 

For the past 300 years we have been enduring the tail-end and last hits of the Ages of Pisces, a time of almost universal delusion, illusion, lies, and suppositions.  Tonight, our sun rouses itself from its slumber and our solar system emerges into the brilliant light and clarity of Aquarius. 

It will be a jarring shift in energies to say the least. 

Zero to sixty.  

We felt that someone should warn you about what you are going to be experiencing in the days ahead, with or without any Military Earth Alliance sharing the Down Low. 

Our sun generates an endless stream of energy not only in the form of light, but also in the form of matter --- an invisible sea of ionic hydrogen which composes what the Indian sages called "Prana" and which 19th century spiritualists called "the Aether" and which physicists today call "the Ether" ---- after demeaning the spiritualists for over a hundred years.  Tin hats. 

Go figure. 

Men like Elon Musk will be leading the charge into this new energy  and criminals like Klaus Schwab and criminal organizations like the WEF will be trying to make everyone (but them) into cyborgs and transmitting nodes in an "internet of things" ---- the cost of participating in this, is becoming a thing.  Not a man.  Not even a human. 

The expectation of the ignorant is that "increased activity" by the sun means that the sun will be brighter, that the temperatures on Earth will greatly increase, that there will be more light, more photons hitting the Earth.  These myopic men have, for the past forty years going on fifty years, made it their business to pollute our atmosphere and meddle with the ionosphere in hopes of creating an artificial cloud cover.  

Anyone who needs more information about this geoengineering campaign is invited to watch "The Dimming" documentary on YouTube, which adequately describes this effort, complete with the patents used to profit from it.  

The "increased activity of the sun" in this case does not presage any insupportable increase in the sun's photonic output.  It refers instead to an increase in the matter precursor, ionic hydrogen.  

What does all this mean for you? 

You will feel unsettled and vaguely excited most of the time; you can expect an emotional, and even physical roller-coaster effect, and a subtle sense of acceleration.  You will have surges of energy that are mirrored in emotional surges as well.  

Strange things will happen --- just odd.  Objects will appear and disappear.  You will look for a glass, not be able to find it, and three days later find it on top of the bird feeder.  And you will know darn well you didn't put it there. 

You will see roads where no roads existed.  Houses and developments will appear where none existed, whole new developments that just seem to pop up out of nowhere.  You will notice that other things fade away, that you have to actively look for them, and there will be an odd sense of "unreality" when you do.  

This is known as the Mandela Effect and it is kicking into full gear. 

In addition to these odd perceptual and energetic phenomena, relationships will be under all sorts of change and flux.  Whatever unresolved issues you have, will come to the fore.  Insecurities left over from your teenage years, lost loves, unresolved divorces, pleasures and pains of all sorts will suddenly rear their ugly (or beautiful) heads and beg for your attention.  

This is the draining away process required to enter the new energetic environment.   Think of it as detoxification for the soul.  What you no longer need to carry will be left behind. Sad memories will recede until they seem like something that happened to someone else, a long time ago.  Beautiful memories will come forward and all the satisfaction and nuances will remain.  

Things that you have long forgotten, you will suddenly remember. 

Things that you haven't done in decades will return to your skill set. You will discover new/old interests and knowledge. 

Answers to "unanswerable" questions will appear. 

It will be chaotic and pleasurable and painful all at the same time. 

So be forewarned. Navigating the future will be strange, full of wonders, and dangers you have yet to fully understand. 

Chief among the dangers is the danger posed by Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Businesses and especially, crooked banks.  

Money is, in the main, a child's game gone wrong. This will become more and more apparent as we venture deeper into the Age of Aquarius.  Credit is a delusion built on a delusion (money) and that, too, will become apparent.  Debt, the inverse of credit, is an even bigger Lie. 

The day will come when mankind wakes up with a shudder and an embarrassed giggle and says, "We fell for that?"  

May that day come sooner than later.

Artificial Intelligence is only as good as the intelligence informing it, and if you stop a moment you will see that we knowingly or unknowingly program in our mistakes and delusions and lies and political and social prejudices, so that AI is flawed from the start. 

Also, consider that those most likely to do the AI programming, governments and corporations, are those who already have an F-minus in ethics, truthfulness, and basic morality --- and you can better grasp the potent threat that AI represents.  Instead of mitigating our flaws and limitations, AI can very easily mirror and expand upon them.  

There is a Universal Law which prohibits interference in our development, and we consider it timely to tell the Universe that there is a difference between "governmental" organizations and governments;  and we are the actual government.  We do not choose to become cyborgs and do not wish to receive technologies that pose great threats to us and our biosphere.  

Our natural progress and evolution has been both delayed and accelerated by meddling and often self-interested external interests that have used a combination of coercion and our own gullibility against our better interests.  

As it is our choice, we choose not to have those meddling external interests present in our lives, so that we may peacefully and happily explore and delight in our nature and the Universe around us. 

Tonight will be known as the Cosmic Night.  It officially ushers in the beginning of a New Age on Earth, and the sun of this solar system will awaken right on time, to do the work which it has always done, age to age, the same. 

Don't be unduly troubled or worried.  Just stay alert and use your ability to observe and to think and to communicate.  We only tell you these things so that you are aware and better able to cope. 

Issued by: 
Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary
The United States of America
In care of: Box 520994
Big Lake, Alaska 99652

November 30th 2024

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First Sunday In Advent

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

The first Sunday in Advent is the first day of the Church Year, and the beginning of the holy season of Advent. The Church commences on this day to contemplate the coming of the Redeemer, and with the prophets to long for Him; during the entire season of Advent she unites her prayers with their sighs, in order to awaken in her children also the desire for the grace of the Redeemer; above all to move them to true penance for their sins, because these are the greatest obstacles in the path of that gracious Advent; therefore she prays at the Introit of the day's Mass:

INTROIT To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show me, O Lord, Thy ways, and teach me Thy paths (Ps. 24). Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT Raise up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy power, and come; that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins, and to be saved by Thy deliverance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end, Amen.

EPISTLE (Rom. 13:11‑14). Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and strife; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does St. Paul teach us in this epistle?

After fully explaining the duties of a Christian life to the Romans who were converted mainly by St. Peter, he exhorts them to hesitate no longer to fulfil these duties, and he seeks to move their hearts by this time of grace, presented them by the Christian dispensation, and by the shortness of the time of grace.

What is here meant by sleep?

The stupidity and blindness of the soul that, forgetting her God, is sunk in a lukewarm, effeminate, slothful and lustful life, which, when it is gone, leaves nothing more than a dream.

Why does St. Paul say, "salvation is nearer"?

He wishes to impress upon the Romans that they now have far greater hope of salvation than when they first became Christians, and that they should secure it by a pious life, because death, and the moment on which depended their salvation, or eternal reward, was drawing near. "What is our life," says St. Chrysostom, "other than a course, a dangerous course to death, through death to immortality?"

What is the signification of day and night?

The night signifies the time before Christ, a night of darkness, of infidelity and of injustice; the day represents the present time, in which by the gospel Christ enlightens the whole world with the teachings of the true faith.

What are "the works of darkness"?

All sins, and especially those which are committed in the dark, to shun the eye of God and man.

What is the "armor of light"?

That faith, virtue and grace, the spiritual armor, with which we battle against our three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and in which armor we should walk honestly before all men. A Christian who in baptism has renounced the devil and all his pomps, must not live in vice, but must put on Christ Jesus, that is, must by the imitation of Christ's virtues adorn his soul, as it were, with a beautiful garment. This text (verse 13) moved St. Augustine to fly from all works of uncleanness in which he had been involved, and to lead a pure life which he had before thought difficult.

ASPIRATION Grant, O Lord, that we may rise by penance from the sleep of our sins, may walk in the light of Thy grace by the performance of good works, may put on Thee and adorn our souls with the imitation of Thy virtues. Amen.

GOSPEL (Lk. 21:25‑33). At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves, men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them a similitude: See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

 

Why does the Church cause the gospel of the Last Judgment to be read on this day?

To move us to penance, and to induce us to prepare our souls for the coming of Christ, by placing the Last Judgment before our minds. Should not the thought of this terrible judgment, when all good and all evil will be revealed, and accordingly be rewarded or punished in the presence of the whole world‑should not this thought strengthen us in virtue!

What signs will precede the Last Judgment?

The sun will be obscured, the stars will lose their light and disappear in the firmament (Is. 13:10), lightning and flames will surround the earth, and wither up every thing; the powers of heaven will be moved, the elements brought to confusion; the roaring of the sea with the howling of the winds and the beating of the storms will fill man with terror and dread. Such evil and distress will come upon the world, that man will wither away for fear, not knowing whither to turn. Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, the holy cross, the terror of the sinners who have scorned it, the consolation of the just who have loved it (Mt. 24:30).

Why will all this come to pass?

Because as the people love the creatures of God so inordinately, more than the Creator, and use them only to His dishonor, He will destroy them in this terrible manner, arming all creatures for vengeance against His enemies (Wis. 5:8‑24, and showing by the manner of their destruction the evils which will fall upon all sinners. The darkness of the sun will indicate the darkness of hell; the blood-red moon, the anger and wrath of God; the disappearance and falling of the stars, will represent the fall of sinners into the abyss of hell and their disappearance from earth; and the madness of the elements, will exhibit the rage of the beasts of hell. Sinners will then vainly, and too late, repent that they have attached their hearts to things which will end so horribly, and that only increase their torments.

Why does Christ nevertheless command: "Lift up your heads, for your redemption is at hand"?

These words are spoken to the just who as long as they live on earth are like prisoners and exiles, but who at the Last Judgment will be taken body and soul into their long desired fatherland, the kingdom of heaven: into the freedom of the children of God. These will have reason to raise their heads, now bowed in mourning, and to rejoice.

How will the Last Judgment commence?

By the command of God the angels will sound the trumpets, summoning all men from the four parts of the earth to come to judgment (I Thess. 4:15). Then the bodies of the dead will unite with their souls, and be brought to the valley of Josaphat, and there placed, the just on the right, the wicked on the left (Mt. 25:33). Then the devils as well as the angels will appear; Christ Himself will be seen coming in a cloud, in such power and majesty that the sinners will be filled with terror. They will not dare to look at Him, and will cry to the mountains to fall upon them, and to the hills to cover them (Lk. 23:30).

How will the judgment be held?

The book of conscience, upon which all men are to be judged, and which closed with this life, will be opened. All good and evil thoughts, words, deeds and motives, even the most secret, known only to God, will then be as plainly revealed to the whole world as if they were written on each one's forehead; by these each one will be judged, and be eternally rewarded, or eternally punished.

O God! If we must then give an account of every idle word (Mt. 12:36), how can we stand in the face of so many sinful words and actions!

Why will God hold a universal public Judgment?

Although immediately after death, a special private judgment of each soul takes place, God has ordained a public and universal judgment for the following reasons: First, that it may be clearly shown to all how just has been His private judgment, and also that the body which has been the instrument of sin or of virtue may share in the soul's punishment or reward; secondly, that the justice which they could by no means obtain in this life, may be rendered before the whole world to the oppressed poor, and to persecuted innocence, and that the wicked who have abused the righteous, and yet have been considered honest and good, may be put to shame before all; thirdly, that the graces and means of salvation bestowed upon each, may be made known; fourthly, that the blessed providence of God which often permitted the righteous to suffer evil while the wicked prospered, may be vindicated, and it be shown on that day that His acts are acts of the greatest wisdom; fifthly, that the wicked may learn the goodness of God, not for their comfort or benefit, but for their greater sorrow, that they may see how He rewards even the slightest work performed for His love and honor; finally, that Christ may be exalted before the wicked on earth as before the good in heaven, and that the truth of His words may solemnly be made manifest.

ASPIRATION Just art Thou O God, and just are Thy judgments. Ah, penetrate my soul with holy fear of them, that I may be kept always in awe, and avoid sin. Would that I could say with the penitent St. Jerome: "Whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I seem to hear the awful sound of the trumpet in my ears: `Arise ye dead, and come to judgment."'

INSTRUCTIONS ON ADVENT

What is the meaning of Advent, and what do we understand by the term?

The word Advent signifies coming, and by it is understood the visible coming of the Son of God into this world, at two different times.

It was when the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the immaculate Virgin Mary, was born, according to the flesh, in the fullness of time, and sanctified the world by His coming, for which the patriarchs and prophets had so longed (Gen. 49:10; Is. G4:1; Lk. 10:24).

Since Christ had not yet come, how could the Just of the Old Law be saved?

Immediately after their sin, God revealed to our first parents that His only-begotten Son would become man and redeem the world (Gen. 3:15). In the hope of this Redeemer and through His merits, all in the old covenant who participated in His merits by innocence or by penance, and who died in the grace of God, were saved, although they were excluded from heaven until the Ascension of Christ.

When will the second coming of Christ take place?

At the end of the world when Christ will come, with great power and majesty, to judge both the living and the dead.

What is Advent, and why has the Church instituted it?

Advent is that solemn time, immediately preceding Christmas, instituted by the Church in order that we should, in the first place, meditate on the Incarnation of Christ, the love, patience and humility which He has shown us, and prove our gratitude to Him, because He came from the bosom of His heavenly Father into this valley of tears, to redeem us; secondly, that we may prepare ourselves by sincere repentance, fasting, prayer, alms-deeds, and other works pleasing to God, for the coming of Christ and His birth in our hearts, and thus participate in the graces which He has obtained for us; finally, that He may be merciful to us, when He shall come again as judge of the world. "Watch ye, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come" (Mt. 5:42). "Wherefore be you also ready; because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come" (Mt. 24:44).

How was Advent formerly observed?

Very differently from now. It then commenced with the Feast of St. Martin, and was observed by the faithful like the Forty Days' Fast, with strict penance and devotional exercises, as even now most of the religious communities do to the present day. The Church has forbidden all turbulent amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts, during Advent. Pope Sylverius ordered that those who seldom receive Holy Communion should, at least, do so on every Sunday in Advent.

How should this solemn time be spent by Christians?

They should recall, during these four weeks, the four thousand years in which the just under the Old Law expected and desired the promised Redeemer, think of those days of darkness in which nearly all nations were blinded by saran and drawn into the most horrible crimes, then consider their own sins and evil deeds and purify their souls from them by a worthy reception of the Sacraments, so that our Lord may come with His grace to dwell in their hearts and be merciful to them in life and in death. Further, to awaken in the faithful the feelings of repentance so necessary for the reception of the Savior in their hearts, the Church orders that besides the observance of certain fast days, the altar shall be draped in violet, that Mass shall be celebrated in violet vestments, that the organ shall be silent and no Gloria sung. Unjust to themselves, disobedient to the Church and ungrateful, indeed, to God are those Christians who spend this solemn time of grace in sinful amusements without performing any good works, with no longing for Christ's Advent into their hearts.

What are Rorate High Masses, and why are they celebrated?

They are the solemn high Masses celebrated in some countries in commemoration of the tidings brought to the Blessed Virgin by the Archangel Gabriel, announcing to her that she was to become the Mother of God; they derive their name from the words of the Introit in the Votive Mass, Rorate coeli desuper. They are celebrated very early in the morning because the Blessed Virgin preceded our Lord, as the aurora precedes the rising sun.

PRAYER IN ADVENT O God, who by Thy gracious Advent hast brought joy into this world, grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to prepare ourselves by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.