Is peace breaking out?

Is it possible that peace is beginning to break out in at least one corner of the world -- the Korean peninsula?

Perhaps, but unless and until we, as a country, disengage from the numerous "little" wars that we have, for many years now, been embroiled in, and pull our troops out of sovereign nations-states, I'm afraid not much will change in the overall scheme of things.

One obvious place to start would be South Korea, where we have nearly 30,000 troops that have been used as a buffer against any perceived North Korean invasion of the prosperous South.  If that were to happen, I know a good place to re-deploy those forces: the southern border of our own country to help stem the tsunami of illegal aliens onto our sovereign soil.

After a successful de-nuclearization of North Korea -- if that actually happens -- a list of the beleaguered countries that we have invaded and occupied for over a decade should be put on the table; withdraw our troops, and leave the destiny of those peoples to their own devices.  Iraq and Afghanistan come to mind, but that list will be a long one, including the African continent.

Let's face the undeniable fact, that, unfortunately, our military actions across the world has left a trail of death, mayhem and despair.  And for what?  Regime change; to spread our form of "democracy"?

Or, can it be that the wars and rumors of wars have all been part of the agenda of the military industrial complex (as President Eisenhower warned us about) that would provide a steady diet of opportunities for the arms and munitions manufactures to enjoy almost endless profits amounting to trillions of dollars over the years, not to mention the almost inconceivable human misery perpetrated, mostly, on the innocent.

Will President Trump be able to buck the establishment war mongers and fulfill his promise to pull our troops out of, at least, Iraq and Afghanistan?  

Bottom line: we cannot put all our expectations and hopes in one man or one political party to counter the culture of death (and that includes the killing of the pre-born!).

You know as well as I, that our hopes and dreams for a lasting peace can only be put on the shoulders of Christ and His most Blessed Mother (listen to Her message at Fatima!).  All other efforts will be futile...

E. DeLalla

Inalienable rights...

Inalienable rights...

We hear this term used, but what are inalienable rights?

Here is the dictionary definition: Not capable of being given up or transferred.

In a previous post, I wrote that our inalienable rights are NOT given to us by government, but are given to us by God, and that it is the duty, the job, of government to guarantee those rights.

But let us look at that dictionary definition once again: Not capable of being given up or transferred.

This simple definition is just that, simple, but complex in its meaning, as only human beings have inalienable rights that cannot be given up -- or taken away! -- nor can they be transferred (as the globalists would like to see AI robots have those very same human rights).

The idea of robots having human rights, of course, is pure nonsense.  But what is not nonsense, is that the elite -- and, yes, there is an elite that would very much like to take our inalienable rights away -- want non-humans, including some species of animals, to have human rights also.

So what does all this lead to?

I contend that it leads to the loss of sanctity and value of human life, especially the pre-born, the most vulnerable of all humans.

Taking this terrible trend further, we can easily see that if the life of a pre-born baby girl developing in her mother's womb is considered to be just a blob of cells, why should anyone care about protecting the "fetus" (the unborn young of a mammal -- according to the dictionary) from destruction?

Sadly, in our own country, and many nations as well, the taking of the life of the pre-born is "legal," and used as a form of birth control, and declared to be a "right" of a woman to end her pregnancy.

We destroy the most defenseless of our own in the most heinous ways, without fear of man's law, but most importantly, without fear of God's judgment; His justice.

And that is the key: lack of fear of the Lord.  Without this fear, we do what we want, when we want, without fearing the ultimate price that will someday be paid.

God will not be mocked.

E. DeLalla

All have sinned. Really?

St. Paul tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

If St. Paul's words are inspired, and they are, then his statement must mean that our Lord and His most Blessed Mother are sinners just as we are, right?

And if St. Paul is wrong, then the Scripture is contradictory or wrong.

But there are no contradictions, and the Scripture is not wrong.

First, St. Paul was well educated, a Roman citizen, and, most importantly, a persecutor of the nascent Christians,  In fact, he was present at the stoning of St. Stephen, the protomartyr.  But after his miraculous and stunning conversion on the road to Damascus, became Christ's messenger, His ambassador to the Gentiles. 

There is no doubt that even the new Paul was a sinner -- as we all are.

On a human level, does anyone really think that the new St. Paul would have considered his Savior a sinner?   Or that His Mother was not immaculately conceived, also a sinner -- the woman that was to bring the Redeemer into the world?

I think not.

In his humility, St. Paul is referring to our human natures, not the human/Divine nature of our Lord, or His Blessed Mother (Hail, full of grace!  As the angel announced.).

As the cousin of Mary, Elizabeth, proclaimed: what is this that the Mother of my Lord should come to me!?

The Mother of our Lord!  The Mother of the Son of God!

No, she was not just a "vessel" to be used by God to bring His Son into the world, then discarded, if you will, to hold no special place in salvation history.

The most perfect of all God's creations!  The Mother of us all!

The "all have sinned" verse is another misinterpreted, and misunderstood verse that the unlearned quote to their own destruction (St. Peter).

E. DeLalla

 

Battle scene from my book: Mutiny! The Battle of Dong Ha

Chapter Nineteen: Time to Grieve?

…"Biffi; now Billingsly.  Why?"  He didn't vocalize this question to anyone standing nearby or working to recover the body of his friend, but asked this in the silence of his  heart.

Mires, standing near the collapsed bunker, limply holding the carry-handle of his M-16, turned around to make a quick survey and assessment of the damage done to the air field...

...The small MASH unit was rendered almost useless with the sandbagged roof having collapsed on the beds and stretchers...

...The north perimeter was almost non-existent, the west perimeter faired little better with entire sections of concertina wire blown away...

...The still, warm, humid air was filled with lingering smoke from the fires, gunpowder from spent shells and cartridges, making it difficult to get a breath of fresh air.  The battle was won, but the stench of death lingered...

...Just then, a slight breeze picked up and started to push some of the choking smells away from the compound.  A light misty rain began to fall, not the heavy and unpredictable monsoons so common at this time of year...

...As Mires continued his survey of the battle scene, his peripheral vision noticed something moving just up and over his right shoulder.  He slowly turned his head and, coming into his field of view now, he looked up at the movement that caught his attention.  It was the bullet-riddled, tattered American Flag dangling atop the shot-up flagpole.  It began to flap gently in the light breeze, catching the attention of several more cops and support personnel.  Almost as if an order was given, heads began to turn and stare at the symbol of their country.  No one uttered a word.  But the sight began to overwhelm those seeing Old Glory still flying over the nearly destroyed air field compound.  The tears that Mires shed earlier began anew... He thought to himself: "We are here for them, not for us." 

E. DeLalla

Judging others.

The Bible tells us not to judge others, that is, if we don't want to be judged!   Makes sense to me.  But the Scripture verse that is often quoted, mainly by those who misunderstand or misinterpret that verse, say that we cannot, under any circumstances, judge anyone for any reason.

This is false.

So, what is meant by that verse?  

First, it should be mentioned that there are four types of judgments: Divine judgment; General judgment; Last judgment, and the Particular judgment.

I'm not going to write a book here, and it could very easily fill a book to discuss these four types of judgments.  Instead, I just want to concentrate on what it means to "judge" someone, and to show that it does not mean that we shouldn't judge anyone at all, at any time.

In fact, just the opposite is true.  And I can prove it using reason and God-given common sense.

For instance, admonishing the sinner (a spiritual work of mercy), by its very nature, means that we have "judged" someone that has done or said something that is wrong or evil.  And this is where common sense comes in.

As an example, if you or I were walking down Main Street, USA, and as we approach a bank, out comes this guy holding a bag of money, with a smoking 45 pistol in his hand.  Common sense tells us (or should tell us!) that this guy is a bad dude; a bank robber, and potential killer.  Would you or I walk up to this guy, and with a big smile on our faces, say: "have a nice day, brother."

I don't think so.

But why not?  

Because we have JUDGED him to be an outlaw, a gangster, a felon, and a threat to life and limb; maybe our life and limb!

We take cover and hope that he doesn't see us and take a shot at us.

When he is caught, he is tried, and if found guilty, is sentenced to prison or death.

A judge and jury found him so, and passed sentence.  They JUDGED him.

In fact, we make many hundreds of little, and sometimes momentous, judgments every single day.  We have to, in order to function in society.

Some of these judgments can be very simple, and easily accomplished.  Others, can literally mean the difference between life and death, as in the bank robber example.

The thing to keep in mind here, is that we make righteous judgments of others.  And with true humility, we can, indeed, make those necessary judgments righteous.

One last thing; only God can judge the interior, the heart of a person, we, on the other hand, can only make objective judgments of others, as we cannot know the interior or heart of a person...

E. DeLalla

   

Real American Heroes...

Patrick Henry: Give me liberty, or give me death!

John Paul Jones, father of the American Navy: I have not yet begun to fight!

Col. Travis, of the Alamo: Victory or death!

What did all these nascent Americans have in common?

The will to fight for what was right; freedom from a foreign tyranny; for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (enshrined in the Declaration of Independence).

On June 6, 1944, began the allied invasion of Europe, and the beginning of the end of the Nazi scourge under the murderous lunatic, Hitler.

How many Americans walking down Main Street, USA, remember, that yesterday, June 6, was the 74th anniversary of D-Day?

With the current sad state of American history being taught in the school systems today, I would think that the average "Joe" doesn't know, or, even worse, doesn't care about a titanic event that is seventy-four years old.

But, to the families of those soldiers who died in that horrendous assault on the beaches of Normandy, I'm sure that they still remember or at least have grandchildren that were taught what their grandads did, not only for their own country, but also for the enslaved peoples of Europe.

And with all the deficiencies of our American system of "democracy," it is important to remember those aspects of our heritage, especially those of freeing others unable to free, or defend themselves.

I love my country, not necessarily my government.

Do you love your country?

E. DeLalla

 

The lack of moral absolutes and its disastrous results.

The culture of death is "alive" and well here in our beloved country, as well as in many -- far too many -- Western nations.  I contend that the lack of moral absolutes are the main cause, and that stems from the misuse of our free will.

The results are disastrous.

This can be seen in the snuffing out of life of the pre-born, euthanasia, homosexuality, promiscuity, contraception, pornography, the invasion of illegal immigrants, and numerous other facets that seem to be accepted because it is "legal" -- or wanted -- in many states and nations.

There are exceptions to this plague, such as Poland, and a few other sovereign countries, some in Africa, fighting for their very existence in the face of the onslaught of money and influence, mostly from outside sources attempting to smash the resistance of a God-fearing people.

The recent debacle in Ireland is a prime example.

But that debacle was not a flash-in-the-pan; something new or foreign.  The repeal of their Eight Amendment (protecting the life of the mother AND her preborn) was the result of decades of weakness of the Catholic Church and her willingness to accept the "spirit of the age."

Even non-Catholics, at one time, looked to the Church in Ireland and elsewhere, as a moral beacon in a world gone mad, but apparently that is no longer the case.  Not only is this a sad turn of events, it is a disaster of an unimaginable magnitude.

It seems that the demon is winning the battle for individual souls and nations as well.

What chance do we have to counter this abomination?  Is despair the only answer?  

I say, no!  

Remember, charity begins at home.  Strengthen your families; pray; instill love of God; discipline your charges; abide by the Natural Law; practice your Catholic faith; if not Catholic, come into the Church; find, and talk to a traditional Catholic priest.  If your children are not already baptized, get them to the baptismal font, quickly!

Never give up the fight!  

E. DeLalla