The Woman Riding the Beast
sculpture outside E.U. Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
Protestants love to describe The Roman Catholic Church as “The Whore of Babylon” but who did St. John, the author of the Book of Revelation really mean was the Whore? St. John gave us several clues, If we read Revelation we notice that the clothing the Whore was wearing is the key to her identity…
On October 28, 312, Emperor Constantine met Emperor Maxentius in battle just outside the city of Rome at the Milvian Bridge, spanning the Tiber. This battle—occurring exactly 1,700 years ago—is one of the most important events in the history of Christendom, since it was through Constantine’s victory that Christendom began. It is a battle well worth reflecting upon.
As is well known, the previous day Constantine experienced a vision of a cross of light in the sky, with the words “By this sign you shall conquer” (in Greek, not Latin, by the way). That night, so we are told, Constantine had a dream wherein he was told to paint the cross on the shields of his soldiers.
He did. And so it happened, as the vision said.
The next day, October 28, 312, Constantine defeated Maxentius. Interestingly enough, Maxentius could have stayed within the walls of Rome. He was plentifully stocked to endure a siege. Inexplicably, he decided to go out and engage Constantine. His troops were defeated, and Maxentius himself drowned in the Tiber trying to escape.
Such was the beginning of Constantine’s embrace of Christianity, and such was the beginning of the transformation of the Roman Empire from paganism to Christianity.
It is, again, a well-known story, and unfortunately, as with other well-known stories, it is not well-known enough, or at least, not thought about deeply enough.
Editor’s note: There is ample Old Testament precedent for actions such as this.
In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians: and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and in writing also, saying: Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord the God of heaven hath given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.
Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God of Israel: he is the God that is in Jerusalem. And let all the rest in all places wheresoever they dwell, help him every man from his place, with silver and gold, and goods, and cattle, besides that which they offer freely to the temple of God, which is in Jerusalem.
Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Juda and Benjamin, and the priests, and Levites, and every one whose spirit God had raised up, to go up to build the temple of the Lord, which was in Jerusalem. And all they that were round about, helped their hands with vessels of silver, and gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with furniture, besides what they had offered on their own accord.
And king Cyrus brought forth vessels of the temple of the Lord, which Nabuchodonosor had taken from Jerusalem, and had put them in the temple of his god. Now Cyrus king of Persia brought them forth by the hand of Mithridates the son of Gazabar, and numbered them to Sassabasar the prince of Juda. And this is the number of them: thirty bowls of gold, a thousand bowls of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty cups of gold, Silver cups of a second sort, four hundred and ten: other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and silver, five thousand four hundred: all these Sassabasar brought with them that came up from the captivity of Babylon to Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-11)
Constantine’s decisive victory at the Milvian Bridge, he remarked came at a time when “the era of imperial persecution against Christians was about to come to an end, giving way to the evangelization of the entire empire and molding the profile of western Europe and the Balkans; a Europe which gave rise to the values of human dignity, distinction and cooperation between religion and the state, and freedom of conscience, religion and worship.”
Click here to watch
(90 minutes)
Editor’s note: This wonderful annual, highly inspirational event used to be a must-see for Holy Week. But now we have various social justice groups and specially designated “victims of circumstance” competing for attention with the Passion of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior – and that’s a bit “over the top”.
I give it one and a half stars, due to shameless popery and poorly contrived social justice connotations.
My colleague said it:
“. I remember, you were pale then and came to my room and hammered your fists against the wall.”
And all this happens even though the bishops, after having been admonished by Rome, sent their priests clear instructions.
You have never let me celebrate, because they have understood that I am a priest who faithfully followed the Roman Missal and fearing perhaps that the faithful could make a comparison. […]
“Not Only Contemptuous Disobedience, but Devilishly”
All this is not only contemptuous disobedience and contempt for the authority of the Church. All this is demonic, because it is non-Catholic thinking and a non-Catholic style in the Catholic Church which is enforced with violence. It not only it thus intended to take away the people of God’s faith, one goes even further: it wants to take away their faith in the Church.
In Rome you know these things exactly. “Perhaps we will soon do something concrete?”
“What?” laughed my colleague. “They will give the Archbishop a cardinal’s hat at the next consistory, because certain Archbishop seats are connected to the dignity of Cardinal. But the owners of this right are obviously not obliged to ensure that their priests obey Church law.”
The Woman Riding the Beast
sculpture outside E.U. Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
Protestants love to describe The Roman Catholic Church as “The Whore of Babylon” but who did St. John, the author of the Book of Revelation really mean was the Whore? St. John gave us several clues, If we read Revelation we notice that the clothing the Whore was wearing is the key to her identity…
The Vatican’s Secret Life
Despite headlines about a powerful “gay lobby” within the Vatican, and a new Pope promising reform, the Catholic Church’s gay cardinals, monks, and other clergy inhabit a hidden netherworld. In Rome, the author learns how they navigate the dangerous paradox of their lives.
“The crisis is over; we have lost. This is no longer just a prediction, it is a simple observation: Rome has been desecrated. We are in the age of darkness. Triumphalist reactions are in vain. The modern world and the Church deserve the punishment that God is raining down on us.” – John Senior
Patrizzio Poggi, who served 5 years of an 8-year sentence on sex-abuse charges, had told reporters that he could identify 20 priests who were involved in child prostitution. But prosecutors said he could not substantiate the claims, and charged that his reports were “motivated by personal feelings of resentment.” Poggi allegedly became enraged with Church officials who did not defend him against the criminal charges that led to his conviction and imprisonment.
Editor’s note: Michael Voris/Church Militant TV got way out ahead of this when it initially came to light – assuming that all the charges were true. Now, it will be interesting to see how they handle the retraction.
“I greet the participants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception,” he said.
Editor’s note: Now if we could just get Pope Francis to make an appearance in Washington, D.C. this coming January…
On October 28, 312, Emperor Constantine met Emperor Maxentius in battle just outside the city of Rome at the Milvian Bridge, spanning the Tiber. This battle—occurring exactly 1,700 years ago—is one of the most important events in the history of Christendom, since it was through Constantine’s victory that Christendom began. It is a battle well worth reflecting upon.
As is well known, the previous day Constantine experienced a vision of a cross of light in the sky, with the words “By this sign you shall conquer” (in Greek, not Latin, by the way). That night, so we are told, Constantine had a dream wherein he was told to paint the cross on the shields of his soldiers.
He did. And so it happened, as the vision said.
The next day, October 28, 312, Constantine defeated Maxentius. Interestingly enough, Maxentius could have stayed within the walls of Rome. He was plentifully stocked to endure a siege. Inexplicably, he decided to go out and engage Constantine. His troops were defeated, and Maxentius himself drowned in the Tiber trying to escape.
Such was the beginning of Constantine’s embrace of Christianity, and such was the beginning of the transformation of the Roman Empire from paganism to Christianity.
It is, again, a well-known story, and unfortunately, as with other well-known stories, it is not well-known enough, or at least, not thought about deeply enough.
Editor’s note: There is ample Old Testament precedent for actions such as this.
In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians: and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and in writing also, saying: Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord the God of heaven hath given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God of Israel: he is the God that is in Jerusalem. And let all the rest in all places wheresoever they dwell, help him every man from his place, with silver and gold, and goods, and cattle, besides that which they offer freely to the temple of God, which is in Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Juda and Benjamin, and the priests, and Levites, and every one whose spirit God had raised up, to go up to build the temple of the Lord, which was in Jerusalem. And all they that were round about, helped their hands with vessels of silver, and gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with furniture, besides what they had offered on their own accord. And king Cyrus brought forth vessels of the temple of the Lord, which Nabuchodonosor had taken from Jerusalem, and had put them in the temple of his god. Now Cyrus king of Persia brought them forth by the hand of Mithridates the son of Gazabar, and numbered them to Sassabasar the prince of Juda. And this is the number of them: thirty bowls of gold, a thousand bowls of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty cups of gold, Silver cups of a second sort, four hundred and ten: other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and silver, five thousand four hundred: all these Sassabasar brought with them that came up from the captivity of Babylon to Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-11)
All other churches in America pretty much belong to what sociologists have called the “denominational mentality,” that for public purposes there’s no real difference what any religious group teaches so long as it falls in line with prevailing social mores.
Once you’ve given in to that, you essentially will stand for nothing anymore because, even within your own church, you’re going to have people deciding what they will believe and what they won’t. In fact, they will start to make the “right to choose” the central tenet of the faith.
The Catholic principle is quite different. All of us have the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, but we don’t get to make up the truth about who God is and what he expects of us.
As Claire Sotinel, Professor of Roman History at the University Paris-Est Cherethites, will explain during her presentation at the international conference “Constantine the Great: The Roots of Europe,” to be held in the Vatican from 18 to 21 April: all Constantine did was open a Christian church in Jerusalem, which at the time was not Jewish, but pagan.
But the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, disagrees. “The conversion of Constantine changed everything,” the spiritual leader of the oldest Jewish community in Europe told Vatican Insider. “That event has had a decisive impact on history, and is closely related to the persecution of the Jews.” The conversion of Constantine, he added, “has divided history into ‘before’ and ‘after,’ causing such turmoil that Emperor Julian’s unsuccessful attempt to remedy it earned him the title of ‘the Apostate.’ It goes against all historical evidence to deny it.”
Editor’s note: The seminal event for the Jews was the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, which was followed up by many years of wars and rebellions, leaving what remained of the Holy Land under the occupation of pagans, rather than Jews.
But it was the persecution of Christians by the Jews which ultimately contributed most to the separation of the two faiths, since that (along with the grace of God) is what caused St. Peter and St. Paul to journey to Rome, in the first place.
All this happened more than two centuries before Constantine.
The Rabbi does have a point, though. Once Christianity became the “official” faith of the Roman Empire … Judaism … along with many of the Roman’s favorite pagan cults … would soon and forever more … be cast as obsolete and essentially apostate religions.
Constantine’s decisive victory at the Milvian Bridge, he remarked came at a time when “the era of imperial persecution against Christians was about to come to an end, giving way to the evangelization of the entire empire and molding the profile of western Europe and the Balkans; a Europe which gave rise to the values of human dignity, distinction and cooperation between religion and the state, and freedom of conscience, religion and worship.”
For we Catholics, and for all other Christians, no explanation of this paradoxical outcome is needed. However there is much here to ponder for non-believers and non-Christians.
In purely human terms the followers of Christ had no chance to accomplish anything: no powerful supporters, no homeland embracing their faith, cultures, both Jewish and Gentile, which were hostile to the preaching of the Gospels, other religions which were well-established, the list of disadvantages could go on at considerable length.
We take the victory of Christianity for granted because it happened.
We forget how very improbable such a victory was.
Even more improbable is that what began on Palm Sunday, the triumph of Jesus, has continued till today in spite of all challenges that two thousand years of human folly could cast up. How very peculiar in mortal terms!
Catholics, generally viewed as completely loyal to the pope—a religious ruler living on another continent of the “Old World”—were labeled as disloyal. How was it possible, many asked, for one to be loyal to the basic precepts of American life—namely democracy, republicanism, and a sense of openness and freedom—while simultaneously holding allegiance to a religious institution that never ascribed to these basic principles? Throughout the 19th century, Americans believed that Catholics could not negotiate this balance—being loyal to both Rome and Washington—and, therefore, could not be both a good American and a faithful Catholic.
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