Fr. Z's Blog

Folks, I can’t do a live-streamed Mass today. I wouldn’t inflict it on you.

Something is deeply wrong with the muscles in my upper back ever since the afternoon of Christmas Day.  Yesterday, I got through Mass. Today… well… I’ll try later.

In any event, I would appreciate your prayers for the swift relief of the pain.  It isn’t just when I move – amazing how many things are connected to the back – it’s constant.

Meanwhile, this is an opportunity to offer the pain for some people who have been less than charitable to me lately on social media, one of whom even threatened the bishop here.  This is par for the course, naturally.  However, in addition to prayers I usually usually say for them what that stuff pops up, as it occasionally does, this time I also get to bring the big guns in.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been appealing to the saints whose relics are at my private altar and I’ve asked the Holy Angels to do their part.  Hopefully some teamwork will prevail… and FAST.   If not… well, I’ll deal with that as I may.

In case you are wondering, I am still able to recite – and DO recite, Ch. 3 of Title 11 of the Rituale Romanum precisely for the objects I have so often laid out.  And I continue to pray for protection against demonic influence of anyone involved in the certification of the presidential election.

I find it interesting that the attacks from the people on social media revolve around my recitation of an exorcism.

I find it also interesting that on the one day in a long time that I didn’t say the exorcism, Christmas Day, the back thing hit.

Coincidence?

Exorcists will explain that just as there is a connection between the members of the Church which is Christ’s Mystical Body, there is also a connection between those who are witting and unwitting servants of the Enemy of the Soul in a mocking ugly mirror of Christ’s Body.  One of my exorcist friends told me that these agents can be activated and directed in a coordinated way, and they don’t even realize who they are being instrumentalized.

This is all part of the “visible and invisible” by which we are surrounded.  This is all part of the spiritual war we are all involved in, like it or not.  And in war there are unpleasant things.  We have to be ready to do our parts with the help of the angels and also through the graces which the Sacrament of Confirmation brings to us.

Mary, Queen of Angels… protect us.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy… help me.
St. Michael… defend us.