DELIVERER, noun

1. One who delivers; one who releases or rescues; a preserver.

   The Lord raised up a deliverer to Israel. Judges 3:9.

2. One who relates, or communicates.

Judges 3:9

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

9 And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, to wit, Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:

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Judges 3

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

3 These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites:

2 That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war:

3 The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in mount Libanus, from mount Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath.

4 And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses, or not.

5 So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite:

6 And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

7 And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth.

8 And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years.

9 And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, to wit, Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:

10 And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered into his hands Chusan Rasathaim king of Syria, and he overthrew him.

11 And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel the son of Cenez died.

12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon king of Moab: because they did evil in his sight.

13 And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

14 And the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years:

15 And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour called Aod, the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon king of Moab by him.

16 And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith under his garment on the right thigh.

17 And he presented the gifts to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceeding fat.

18 And when he had presented the gifts unto him, he followed his companions that came along with him.

19 Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, be said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,

20 Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne,

21 And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,

22 With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in his body as he had struck it in. And forthwith by the secret parts of nature the excrements of the belly came out.

23 But Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour and locking them,

24 Went out by a postern door. And the king's servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.

25 And waiting a long time till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.

26 But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols, from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:

27 And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front.

28 And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over.

29 But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and Valiant men: none of them could escape.

30 And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the land rested eighty years.

31 After him was Samgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.

I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. 1 Kings 22:8.

1. To foreshow. [Little used.]

   PROPH'ESY, verb intransitive To utter predictions; to make declaration of events to come. Jeremiah 11:21.

2. In Scripture, to preach; to instruct in religious doctrines; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to exhort. 1 Corinthians 13:9. Ezekiel 37:4.

1 Kings 22:8

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

8 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man left, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: Micheas the son of Jemla; but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good to me, but evil. And Josaphat said: Speak not so, O king.

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1 Kings 22

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

22 And there passed three years without war between Syria and Israel.

2 And in the third year, Josaphat king of Juda came down to the king of Israel.

3 (And the king of Israel said to his servants: Know ye not-that Ramoth Galaad is ours, and we neglect to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?)

4 And he said to Josaphat: Wilt thou come with me to battle to Ramoth Galaad?

5 And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: As I am, so art thou: my people and thy people are one: and my horsemen, thy horsemen. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, this day, the word of the Lord.

6 Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall I forbear? They answered: Go up, and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.

7 And Josaphat said: Is there not here some prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire by him?

8 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man left, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: Micheas the son of Jemla; but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good to me, but evil. And Josaphat said: Speak not so, O king.

9 Then the king of Israel called an eunuch, and said to him: Make haste, and bring hither Micheas the son of Jemla.

10 Then the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, sat each on his throne clothed with royal robes, in a court by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.

11 And Sedecias the son of Chanaana made himself horns of iron, and said: Thus saith the Lord: With these shalt thou push Syria, till thou destroy it.

12 And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, saying: Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king's hands.

13 And the messenger, that went to call Micheas, spoke to him, saying: Behold the words of the prophets with one mouth declare good things to the king: let thy word therefore be like to theirs, and speak that which is good.

14 But Micheas said to him: As the Lord liveth, whatsoever the Lord shall say to me, that will I speak.

15 So he came to the king, and the king said to him: Micheas, shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall we forbear? He answered him: Go up, and prosper, and the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hands.

16 But the king said to him: I adjure thee again and again, that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord.

17 And he said: I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said: These have no master: let every man of them return to his house in peace.

18 (Then the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Did I not tell thee, that he prophesieth no good to me, but always evil?)

19 And he added and said: Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left:

20 And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up, and fall at Ramoth Galaad? And one spoke words of this manner, and another otherwise.

21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him: By what means?

22 And he said: I will go forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive him, and shalt prevail: a go forth, and do so.

23 Now therefore behold the Lord hath given a lying spirit in the mouth of all thy prophets that are here, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.

24 And Sedecias the son of Chanaana came, and struck Micheas on the cheek, and said: Hath then the spirit of the Lord left me, and spoken to thee?

25 And Micheas said: Thou shalt see in the day when thou shalt go into a chamber within a chamber to hide thyself.

26 And the king of Israel said: Take Micheas, and let him abide with Ammon the governor of the city, and with Joas the son of Amalech.

27 And tell them: Thus saith the king: Put this man in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and water of distress, till I return in peace.

28 And Micheas said: If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said: Hear, all ye people.

29 So the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda went up to Ramoth Galaad.

30 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Take armour, and go into the battle, and put on thy own garments. But the king of Israel changed his dress, and went into the battle.

31 And the king of Syria had commanded the two and thirty captains of the chariots, saying: You shall not fight against any, small or great, but against the king of Israel only.

32 So when the captains of the chariots saw Josaphat, they suspected that he was the king of Israel, and making a violent assault they fought against him: and Josaphat cried out.

33 And the captains of the chariots perceived that he was not the king of and they turned away from him.

34 And a certain man bent his bow, shooting at a venture, and chanced to strike the king of Israel between the lungs and the stomach. But he said to the driver of his chariot: Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the army, for I am grievously wounded.

35 And the battle was fought that day, and the king of Israel stood in his chariot against the Syrians, and he died in the evening: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.

36 And the herald proclaimed through all the army before the sun set, saying: Let every man return to his own city, and to his own country.

37 And the king died, and was carried into Samaria: and they buried the king in Samaria.

38 And they washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed the reins, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.

39 But the rest of the acts of Achab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

40 So Achab slept with his fathers, and Ochozias his son reigned in his stead.

41 But Josaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Juda in the fourth year of Achab king of Israel.

42 He was five and thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned five and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Azuba the daughter of Salai.

43 And he walked in all the way of Asa his father, and he declined not from it: and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

44 Nevertheless he took not away the high places: for as Set the people offered sacrifices and burnt incense in the high places.

45 And Josaphat had peace with the king of Israel.

46 But the rest of the acts of Josaphat, and his works which he did, and his battles, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?

47 And the remnant also of the effeminate, who remained in the days of Asa his father, he took out of the land.

48 And there was then no king appointed in Edom.

49 But king Josaphat made navies on the sea, to sail into Ophir for gold: but they could not go, for the ships were broken in Asiongaber.

50 Then Ochozias the ton of Achab said to Josaphat: Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. And Josaphat would not.

51 And Josaphat slept with his fathers. and was buried with them in the city of David his father: and Joram his son reigned in his stead.

52 And Ochozias the son of Achab began to reign over Israel in Samaria, in the seventeenth year of Josaphat king of Juda, and he reigned over Israel two years,

53 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father and his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin.

54 He served also Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked the Lord the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

Jeremiah 11:21

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord to the men of Anathoth, who seek thy life, and say: Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and thou shalt not die in our hands.

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Jeremiah 11

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

11 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, saying:

2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

3 And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Cursed is the man that shall not hearken to the words of this covenant,

4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying: Hear ye my voice, and do all things that I command you: and you shall be my people, and I will be your God:

5 That I may accomplish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. And I answered and said: Amen, O Lord.

6 And the Lord said to me: Proclaim aloud all these words in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear ye the words of the covenant, and do them:

7 For protesting I conjured your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt even to this day: rising early I conjured them, and said: Hearken ye to my voice:

8 And they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear: but walked every one in the perverseness of his own wicked heart: and I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.

9 And the Lord said to me: A conspiracy is found among the men of Juda, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They are returned to the former iniquities of their fathers, who refused to hear my words: so these likewise have gone after strange gods, to serve them: the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have made void my covenant, which I made with their fathers.

11 Wherefore thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring in evils upon them, which they shall not be able to escape: and they shall cry to me, and I will not hearken to them.

12 And the cities of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they offer sacrifice, and they shall not save them in the time of their affliction.

13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda: and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem thou hast set up altars of confusion, altars to offer sacrifice to Baalim.

14 Therefore, do not thou pray for this people, and do not take up praise and prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time of their cry to me, in the time of their affliction.

15 What is the meaning that my beloved hath wrought much wickedness in my house? shall the holy flesh take away from thee thy crimes, in which thou hast boasted?

16 The Lord called thy name, a plentiful olive tree, fair, fruitful, and beautiful: at the noise of a word, a great fire was kindled in it and the branches thereof are burnt.

17 And the Lord of hosts that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee: for the evils of the house of Israel, and the house of Juda, which they have done to themselves, to provoke me, offering sacrifice to Baalim.

18 But thou, O Lord, hast shewn me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings.

19 And I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not that they had devised counsels against me, saying: Let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more.

20 But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest justly, and triest the reins and hearts, let me see thy revenge on them: for to thee I have revealed my cause.

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord to the men of Anathoth, who seek thy life, and say: Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and thou shalt not die in our hands.

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold I will visit upon them: and their young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine.

23 And there shall be no remains of them: for I will bring in evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their visitation.

1 Corinthians 13:9

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

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1 Corinthians 13

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

13 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;

5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.

13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

Ezekiel 37:4

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

4 And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

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Ezekiel 37

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me forth in the spirit of the Lord: and set me down in the midst of a plain that was full of bones.

2 And he led me about through them on every side: now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceeding dry.

3 And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall live? And I answered: O Lord God, thou knowest.

4 And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

5 Thus saith the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live.

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to grow over you, and will cover you with skin: and I will give you spirit and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

7 And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a commotion: and the bones came together, each one to its joint.

8 And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.

9 And he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus saith the Lord God: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, and let them live again.

10 And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 And he said to me: Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel: they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off.

12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have opened your sepulchres, and shall have brought you out of your graves, O my people:

14 And shall have put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall make you rest upon your own land: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and done it, saith the Lord God:

15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

16 And thou son of man, take thee a stick: and write upon it: Of Juda, and of the children of Israel his associates: and take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, and of his associates.

17 And join them one to the other into one stick, and they shall become one in thy hand.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by this?

19 Say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that are associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Juda, and will make them one stick: and they shall be one in his hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes.

21 And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from the midst of the nations whither they are gone: and I will gather them on every side, and will bring them to their own land.

22 And I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all: and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided any more into two kingdoms.

23 Nor shall they be defiled any more with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with all their iniquities: and I will save them out of all the places in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

24 And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd: they shall walk in my judgments, and shall keep my commandments, and shall do them.

25 And they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their children's children, for ever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.

26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will establish them, and will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.

27 And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the nations shall know that I am the Lord the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.

Catholic Dictionary by Father John Hardon

PROPHECY

The certain prediction of future events that cannot be known by natural means. However, the biblical meaning of the Hebrew hozeh (prophecy) is more general, namely "vision" or "revelation interpreted." Those who were called upon to prophesy did, indeed, on occasion also foretell future events, but these predictions fulfilled were divine confirmations of an authentic vision rather than the vision itself. Prophecies as predictions are consequently part of God's supernatural providence. God, in whose sight all things future are ever present, is able to communicate to his creatures the knowledge that he has. He alone finally has this power, because certain foreknowledge of the contingent future is possessed only by God. Prophecies are the words of his prescience, just as miracles are the work of his omnipotence. Hence a religion supported by prophecies must be divine. (Etym. Greek prophētēs, one who speaks for a god, interpreter, expounder, prophet; literally, one who speaks of another.)

Catechism of Pope Pius X

Article Two

Questions 10-14

10 Q. How do we know that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah and Promised Redeemer?
A. We know that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah and Promised Redeemer from the fact that in Him are verified: (1) All that the prophecies foretold, (2) And all that the figures of the Old Testament foreshadowed.

11 Q. What did the prophecies foretell of the Redeemer?
A. Regarding the Redeemer, the prophecies foretold the tribe and the family from which He was to come; the place and time of His birth; His miracles and the most minute circumstances of His Passion and Death; His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven; and His spiritual, perpetual and universal Kingdom, that is, the Holy Catholic Church.

12 Q. Which are the principal figures of the Redeemer in the Old Testament?
A. The principal figures of the Redeemer in the Old Testament are: the innocent Abel; the High Priest Melchisedech; the sacrifice of Isaac; Joseph sold by his brethren; the prophet Jonas; the Paschal Lamb; and the Brazen Serpent set up by Moses in the desert.

13 Q. How do you know that Jesus Christ is true God?
A. We know that Jesus Christ is true God: (1) From the testimony of the Father saying: This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him; (2) From the attestation of Jesus Christ Himself, confirmed by the most stupendous miracles; (3) From the teaching of the Apostles; (4) From the unvarying tradition of the Catholic Church.

14 Q. Mention the chief miracles wrought by Jesus Christ?
A. Besides His Resurrection, the chief miracles wrought by Jesus Christ are; the restoring of health to the sick, of sight to the blind, of hearing to the deaf, and of life to the dead.

Baltimore Catechism

Q. 349. Who were the prophets?

A. The prophets were inspired men to whom God revealed the future, that they might with absolute certainty make it known to the people.

Q. 350. What did the prophets foretell concerning the Redeemer?

A. The prophets, taken together, foretold so accurately all the circumstances of the birth, life, death, resurrection and glory of the Redeemer that no one who carefully studied their writings could fail to recognize Him when He came.

Q. 351. Have all these prophecies concerning the Redeemer been fulfilled?

A. All the prophecies concerning the Redeemer have been fulfilled in every point by the circumstances of Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection and glory; and He is, therefore, the Redeemer promised to mankind from the time of Adam.

Q. 352. Where shall we find these prophecies concerning the Redeemer?

A. We shall find these prophecies concerning the Redeemer in the prophetic books of the Bible or Holy Scripture.

Q. 353. If the Redeemer's coming was so clearly foretold, why did not all recognize Him when He came?

A. All did not recognize the Redeemer when He came, because many knew only part of the prophecies; and taking those concerning His glory and omitting those concerning His suffering, they could not understand His life.

Our Lady of Fatima

Pope Benedict XVI, while serving as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, made this connection between prophecy and its practical application in the Theological Commentary on the Third Secret of Fatima:

"The prophetic word is a warning or a consolation, or both together. In this sense there is a link between the charism of prophecy and the category of “the signs of the times”, which Vatican II brought to light anew: “You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; why then do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56). In this saying of Jesus, the “signs of the times” must be understood as the path he was taking, indeed it must be understood as Jesus himself. To interpret the signs of the times in the light of faith means to recognize the presence of Christ in every age. In the private revelations approved by the Church—and therefore also in Fatima—this is the point: they help us to understand the signs of the times and to respond to them rightly in faith."

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

20 Despise not prophecies.

21 But prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Luke 12:56

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

56 You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time?

Examples of Prophetic Private Revelation

About Christ's love:

“Behold this heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.” ~Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, apparition of June 16, 1675.¹

The Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary are inseparable as stated by Sister Lucia of Our Lady of Fatima

In the End My Immaculate Heart will Triumph”~Our Lady of Fatima

1. http://www.arlingtonrenewal.org/prophecy.html#:~:text=%22The%20prophetic%20word%20is%20a,of%20Christ%20in%20every%20age.

PLEASANTNESS, noun plez'antness. State of being pleasant or agreeable; as the pleasantness of a situation.

1. Cheerfulness; gayety; merriment; as the pleasantness of youth.

First Occurrence in the Bible(KJV): Proverbs 3:17

Proverbs 3:17

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

17 Her ways are beautiful ways, and all her paths are peaceable.

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Proverbs 3

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

3 My son, forget not my law, and let thy heart keep my commandments.

2 For they shall add to thee length of days, and years of life and peace.

3 Let not mercy and truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart:

4 And thou shalt find grace and good understanding before God and men.

5 Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.

6 In all thy ways think on him, and he will direct thy steps.

7 Be not wise in thy own conceit: fear God, and depart from evil:

8 For it shall be health to thy navel, and moistening to thy bones.

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and give him of the first of all thy fruits:

10 And thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall run over with wine.

11 My son, reject not the correction of the Lord: and do not faint when thou art chastised by him:

12 For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself.

13 Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom and is rich in prudence:

14 The purchasing thereof is better than the merchandise of silver, and her fruit than the chiefest and purest gold:

15 She is more precious than all riches: and all the things that are desired, are not to be compared with her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory.

17 Her ways are beautiful ways, and all her paths are peaceable.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and he that shall retain her is blessed.

19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, hath established the heavens by prudence.

20 By his wisdom the depths have broken out, and the clouds grow thick with dew.

21 My son, let not these things depart from thy eyes: keep the law and counsel:

22 And there shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy mouth.

23 Then shalt thou walk confidently in thy way, and thy foot shall not stumble:

24 If thou sleep, thou shalt not fear: thou shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, nor of the power of the wicked falling upon thee.

26 For the Lord will be at thy side, and will keep thy foot that thou be not taken.

27 Do not withhold him from doing good, who is able: if thou art able, do good thyself also.

28 Say not to thy friend: Go, and come again: and to morrow I will give to thee: when thou canst give at present.

29 Practise not evil against thy friend, when he hath confidence in thee.

30 Strive not against a man without cause, when he hath done thee no evil.

31 Envy not the unjust man, and do not follow his ways:

32 For every mocker is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is with the simple.

33 Want is from the Lord in the house of the wicked: but the habitations of the just shall be blessed.

34 He shall scorn the scorners, and to the meek he will give grace.

35 The wise shall possess glory: the promotion of fools is disgrace.

"Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily... To meet others, peacefully, joyously.”~Saint Francis of Assisi

“Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter. ”
~Padre Pio

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother.”~Padre Pio

HASTED

HASTEN, verb transitive To press; to drive or urge forward; to push on; to precipitate; to accelerate movement.

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm. Psalms 55:1.

HASTE

HASTEN, verb intransitive To move with celerity; to be rapid in motion; to be speedy or quick.

They were troubled and hasted away. Psalms 48:5.

Psalm 55:1

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance from the sanctuary for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.

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Psalm 55

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

55 Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance from the sanctuary for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.

2 Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot; all the day long he hath afflicted me fighting against me.

3 My enemies have trodden on me all the day long; for they are many that make war against me.

4 From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.

5 In God I will praise my words, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do against me.

6 All the day long they detested my words: all their thoughts were against me unto evil.

7 They will dwell and hide themselves: they will watch my heel. As they have waited for my soul,

8 For nothing shalt thou save them: in thy anger thou shalt break the people in pieces, O God,

9 I have declared to thee my life: thou hast set my tears in thy sight, As also in thy promise.

10 Then shall my enemies be turned back. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, behold I know thou art my God.

11 In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech. In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.

12 In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will pay, praises to thee:

13 Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

Psalm 48:5

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on the psaltery.

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Psalm 48

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

48 Unto the end, a psalm for the sons of Core.

2 Hear these things, all ye nations: give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.

3 All you that are earthborn, and you sons of men: both rich and poor together.

4 My mouth shall speak wisdom: and the meditation of my heart understanding.

5 I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on the psaltery.

6 Why shall I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall encompass me.

7 They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude of their riches,

8 No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem: he shall not give to God his ransom,

9 Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever,

10 And shall still live unto the end.

11 He shall not see destruction, when he shall see the wise dying: the senseless and the fool shall perish together: And they shall leave their riches to strangers:

12 And their sepulchres shall be their houses for ever. Their dwelling places to all generations: they have called their lands by their names.

13 And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them.

14 This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards they shall delight in their mouth.

15 They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them. And the just shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their help shall decay in hell from their glory.

16 But God will redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when he shall receive me.

17 Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rich, and when the glory of his house shall be increased.

18 For when he shall die he shall take nothing away; nor shall his glory descend with him.

19 For in his lifetime his soul will be blessed: and he will praise thee when thou shalt do well to him.

20 He shall go in to the generations of his fathers: and he shall never see light.

21 Man when he was in honour did not understand: he hath been compared to senseless beasts, and made like to them.

“I feel a great desire to abandon myself with greater trust to the Divine Mercy and to place my hope in God alone.”~Padre Pio

From the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint John Chrysostom

Rejoice, mother and heaven, maiden and cloud, virgin and throne, the boast and foundation of our Church. Plead earnestly for us that through you we may obtain mercy on the Day of Judgment and attain the good things reserved for those who love God, through the grace and love our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, and honor now and for ever and for all eternity. Amen.

“In the spiritual life, you must take one step forward each day in a vertical line, from the bottom up.”~Padre Pio

CHASTISE, verb transitive

1. To correct by punishing; to punish; to inflict pain by stripes, or in other manner, for the purpose of punishing an offender and recalling him to his duty.

I will chastise you seven times for your sins. Leviticus 26:28.

2. To reduce to order or obedience; to restrain; to awe; to repress.

The gay social sense, By decency chastisd.

3. To correct; to purify by expunging faults; as, to chastise a poem.

Leviticus 26:28

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

I will also go against you with opposite fury, and I will chastise you with seven plagues for your sins,

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Leviticus 26

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

I am the Lord your God: you shall not make to yourselves any idol or graven thing, neither shall you erect pillars, nor set up a remarkable stone in your land, to adore it: for I am the Lord your God.

Keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

If you walk in my precepts, and keep my commandments, and do them, I will give you rain in due seasons.

And the ground shall bring forth its increase, and the trees shall be filled with fruit.

The threshing of your harvest shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land without fear.

I will give peace in your coasts: you shall sleep, and there shall be none to make you afraid. I will take away evil beasts: and the sword shall not pass through your quarters.

You shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall before you.

Five of yours shall pursue a hundred others, and a hundred of you ten thousand: your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

I will look on you, and make you increase: you shall be multiplied, and I will establish my covenant with you.

You shall eat the oldest of the old store, and, new coming on, you shall cast away the old.

I will set my tabernacle in the midst of you, and my soul shall not cast you off.

I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

I am the Lord your God: who have brought you out of the land of the Egyptians, that you should not serve them, and who have broken the chains of your necks, that you might go upright.

But if you will not hear me, nor do all my commandments,

If you despise my laws, and contemn my judgments so as not to do those things which are appointed by me, and to make void my covenant:

I also will do these things to you: I will quickly visit you with poverty, and burning heat, which shall waste your eyes, and consume your lives. You shall sow your seed in vain, which shall be devoured by your enemies.

I will set my face against you, and you shall fall down before your enemies, and shall be made subject to them that hate you, you shall flee when no man pursueth you.

But if you will not yet for all this obey me: I will chastise you seven times more for your sins,

And I will break the pride of your stubbornness, and I will make to you the heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass:

Your labour shall be spent in vain, the ground shall not bring forth her increase, nor the trees yield their fruit.

If you walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you for your sins:

And I will send in upon you the beasts of the held, to destroy you and your cattle, and make you few in number, and that your highways may be desolate.

And if even so you will not amend, but will walk contrary to me:

I also will walk contrary to you, and will strike you seven times for your sins.

And I will bring in upon you the sword that shall avenge my covenant. And when you shall flee into the cities, I will send the pestilence in the midst of you, and you shall be delivered into the hands of your enemies,

After I shall have broken the staff of your bread: so that ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and give it out by weight: and you shall eat, and shall not be filled.

But if you will not for all this hearken to me, but will walk against me:

I will also go against you with opposite fury, and I will chastise you with seven plagues for your sins,

So that you shall eat the flesh of your sons and of your daughters.

I will destroy your high places, and break your idols. You shall fall among the ruins of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

Insomuch that I will bring your cities to be a wilderness, and I will make your sanctuaries desolate, and will receive no more your sweet odours.

And I will destroy your land, and your enemies shall be astonished at it, when they shall be the inhabitants thereof.

And I will scatter you among the Gentiles, and I will draw out the sword after you, and your land shall be desert, and your cities destroyed.

Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths all the days of her desolation: when you shall be

In the enemy’s land, she shall keep a sabbath, and rest in the sabbaths of her desolation, because she did not rest in your sabbaths when you dwelt therein.

And as to them that shall remain of you I will send fear in their hearts in the countries of their enemies, the sound of a flying leaf shall terrify them, and they shall flee as it were from the sword: they shall fall, when no man pursueth them,

And they shall every one fall upon their brethren as fleeing from wars, none of you shall dare to resist your enemies.

You shall perish among the Gentiles, and an enemy’s land shall consume you.

And if of them also some remain, they shall pine away in their iniquities, in the land of their enemies, and they shall be afflicted for the sins of their fathers, and their own:

Until they confess their iniquities and the iniquities of their ancestors, whereby they have transgressed me, and walked contrary unto me.

Therefore I also will walk them, and bring them into their enemies’ land until their uncircumcised mind be ashamed: then shall they pray for their sins.

And I will remember my covenant, that I made with Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham. I will remember also the land:

Which when she shall be left by them, shall enjoy her sabbaths, being desolate for them. But they shall pray for their sins, because they rejected my judgments, and despised my laws.

And yet for all that when they were in the land of their enemies, I did not cast them off altogether, neither did I so despise them that they should be quite consumed, and I should make void my covenant with them. For I am the Lord their God.

And I will remember my former covenant, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, in the sight of the Gentiles, to be their God. I am the Lord. These are the judgments, and precepts, and laws, which the Lord gave between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

Philippians 2:4

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

Each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s.

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Philippians 2

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of charity, if any society of the spirit, if any bowels of commiseration:

Fulfill ye my joy, that you may be of one mind, having the same charity, being of one accord, agreeing in sentiment.

Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vain glory: but in humility, let each esteem others better than themselves:

Each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s.

For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.

He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.

For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:

That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:

And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.

For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations;

That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Holding forth the word of life to my glory in the day of Christ, because I have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain.

Yea, and if I be made a victim upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and congratulate with you all.

And for the selfsame thing do you also rejoice, and congratulate with me.

And I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy unto you shortly, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know the things concerning you.

For I have no man so of the same mind, who with sincere affection is solicitous for you.

For all seek the things that are their own; not the things that are Jesus Christ’s.

Now know ye the proof of him, that as a son with the father, so hath he served with me in the gospel.

Him therefore I hope to send unto you immediately, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.

And I trust in the Lord, that I myself also shall come to you shortly.

But I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow labourer, and fellow soldier, but your apostle, and he that hath ministered to my wants.

For indeed he longed after you all: and was sad, for that you had heard that he was sick.

For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death; but God had mercy on him; and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I sent him the more speedily: that seeing him again, you may rejoice, and I may be without sorrow.

Receive him therefore with all joy in the Lord; and treat with honour such as he is.

Because for the work of Christ he came to the point of death: delivering his life, that he might fulfill that which on your part was wanting towards my service.

“Give to everyone who asks thee, and do not refuse.”~Didache

“My reproach of you today is severe, but I beg you to pardon it. It is just that my soul is wounded. I do not speak in this way out of enmity but out of care for you. Therefore I will now strike a gentler tone.… I know that your intentions are good and that you realize your mistakes. The realization of the greatness of one’s sin is the first step on the way to virtue.… You must offer assurance that you will not fall into the same sins again.”~Saint John Chrysostom 

From the Archives: Grace and Blessing

“GOLDEN-TONGUED” John Chrysostom preached often to his church at Constantinople on the duties of rich Christians to care for the poor. He takes up the theme in this homily, excerpted here, on Acts 4:32–37, challenging his listeners to imagine themselves living as the first Christians had lived, just three-and-a-half centuries earlier.

“And great grace,” it says, “was upon them all; for neither was there any among them that lacked.” Grace was among them, since nobody suffered want, that is, since they gave so willingly that no one remained poor. For they did not give a part, keeping another part for themselves; they gave everything in their possession. They did away with inequality and lived in great abundance; and this they did in the most praiseworthy fashion. They did not dare to put their offering into the hands of the needy, nor give it with lofty condescension. but they laid it at the feet of the apostles and made them the masters and distributors of the gifts. What a man needed was then taken from the treasure of the community, not from the private property of individuals. Thereby the givers did not become arrogant.

Should we do so much today, we should all live much more happily, rich as well as poor; and the poor would not be more the gainers than the rich. And if you please, let us now for a while depict it in words, and derive at least this pleasure from it, since you have no mind for it in your actions. For at any rate this is evident, even from the facts which took place then, that by selling their possessions they did not come to be in need.

Let us imagine things as happening in this way: All give all that they have into a common fund. No one would have to concern himself about it, neither the rich nor the poor. How much money do you think would be collected? I infer—for it cannot be said with certainty—that if every individual contributed all his money, his lands, his estates, his houses (I will not speak of slaves, for the first Christians had none, probably giving them their freedom), then a million pounds of gold would be obtained, and most likely two or three times that amount. Then tell me how many people our city (Constantinople) contains? How many Christians? Will it not come to a hundred thousand? And how many pagans and Jews! How many thousands of pounds of gold would be gathered in! And how many of the poor do we have? I doubt that there are more than 50,000. How much would be required to feed them daily? If they all ate at a common table, the cost could not be very great. What could we not undertake with our huge treasure! Do you believe it could ever be exhausted?

And will not the blessing of God pour down on us a thousand-fold richer? Will we not make a heaven on earth? Would not the grace of God be indeed richly poured out?

If this turned out so brilliantly for three or five thousand (the first Christians) and none of them was in want, how much more would this be so with such a great quantity? Will not each newcomer add something more? The dispersion of property is the cause of greater expenditure and so of poverty. Consider a household with husband and wife and ten children. She does weaving and he goes to the market to make a living; will they need more if they live in a single house or when they live separately? Clearly, when they live separately. If the ten sons each go his own way, they need ten houses, ten tables, ten servants and everything else in proportion. And how of the mass of slaves? Are these not fed at a single table, in order to save money? Dispersion regularly leads to waste, bringing together leads to economy.

This is how people now live in monasteries and how the faithful once lived. Who died of hunger then? Who was not fully satisfied?

And yet people are more afraid of this way of life than of a leap into the endless sea. If only we made the attempt and took bold hold of the situation! How great a blessing there would be as a result! For if at that time, when there were so few faithful, only three to five thousand, if at that time when the whole world was hostile to us and there was no comfort anywhere, our predecessors were so resolute in this, how much more confidence should we have today, when by God’s grace the faithful are everywhere! Who would still remain a heathen? Nobody, I believe. Everyone would come to us and be friendly.

But yet if we do but make fair progress, I trust in God that even this shall be realized. Only do as I say, and let us successfully achieve things in their regular order; if God grant life, I trust that we shall soon be progressing to this way of life.2

By John Chrysostom

The world has “educated” us to spend so much of our time and energy focusing on everything here. They designed the world so you have all but no choice but to navigate by those rules and customs.

What if I told you, you don’t know jack about life. You don’t have to believe me, maybe you will believe Merriam Webster’s dictionary.

First off, you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to find almost hidden the kids definition of life which is simply defines it as energy and spirit.

Wait hold on Willis, what are you taking about? I was never “educated” as a kid that life was about my energy and spirit! Were you? I didn’t think so.

The good folks at Merriam Webster’s dictionary go on to define life as your spiritual existence that transcends your physical death.

So life is really about your energy and spirit and your spiritual existence after you die.

That should be your number one priority in this “roller coaster we call life” but it isn’t for most. That’s why it’s become a roller coaster.

Most people have built their lives, their entire foundation, on glass stilts due to their lack of knowledge on the meaning of life.

This is why most people do not find the the thin and narrow gate(door). See Matthew 7:13-14

Stay Tuned!