RELEVANCE TO PIZZAGATE
The Q threads have an intrinsic connection to Pizzagate because they constantly extrapolate on themes present in the Podesta emails and offer corroboration of the research done by the Voat Pizzagate community.
LATEST Q THREAD
@LightlyToasted posted the Dec. 7 Q Anon thread here which features several photos, including one of Pope St. John Paul II with the caption: "Pope visits the site of the Sermon on the Holy Mount" in which one can see the late pope embracing a bishop.
This picture appears to have been taken when Pope JP II visited the Sea of Galilee near the Mount of Beatitudes in March 24, 2000. The bishop the pope is greeting is apparently Archbishop Boutros Mouallem of the Greek Melkite Community. You can see them together in this picture:
http://www.christusrex.org/www2/ncw/images/24Mznt2.jpg
POPE ST. JOHN PAUL'S POWERFUL HOMILY ON THE MOUNT OF BEATITUDES
The pope, addressing the youth of the world, gave an (uncharacteristically!) brief but extremely compelling sermon on that occasion in which he pointed to the nearby Mount Sinai (on which the Ten Commandments were given to Moses) and the Mount of Beatitudes as "the roadmap of our Christian life and a summary of our responsibilities to God and neighbour. The Law and the Beatitudes together mark the path of the following of Christ and the royal road to spiritual maturity and freedom."
He goes on to remind us that there are two voices competing for our attention and two paths open to all of us: "the choice between good and evil, between life and death."
EXCERPT FROM THE POPE'S PIVOTAL SERMON
The Ten Commandments of Sinai may seem negative: "You will have no false gods before me; . . . do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness ... " (Ex 20:3, 13-16). But in fact they are supremely positive. Moving beyond the evil they name, they point the way to the law of love which is the first and greatest of the commandments: "You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. . .You will love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:37, 39). Jesus himself says that he came not to abolish but to fulfill the Law (cf. Mt 5:17). His message is new but it does not destroy what went before; it leads what went before to its fullest potential. Jesus teaches that the way of love brings the Law to fulfillment (cf. Gal 5:14). And he taught this enormously important truth on this hill here in Galilee.
3."Blessed are you!", he says, "all you who are poor in spirit, gentle and merciful, you who mourn, who care for what is right, who are pure in heart, who make peace, you who are persecuted! Blessed are you!" But the words of Jesus may seem strange. It is strange that Jesus exalts those whom the world generally regards as weak. He says to them, "Blessed are you who seem to be losers, because you are the true winners: the kingdom of heaven is yours!" Spoken by him who is "gentle and humble in heart" (Matt 11:29), these words present a challenge which demand a deep and abiding metanoia of the spirit, a great change of heart.
You young people will understand why this change of heart is necessary! Because you are aware of another voice within you and all around you, a contradictory voice. It is a voice which says, "Blessed are the proud and violent, those who prosper at any cost, who are unscrupulous, pitiless, devious, who make war not peace, and persecute those who stand in their way". And this voice seems to make sense in a world where the violent often triumph and the devious seem to succeed. "Yes", says the voice of evil, "they are the ones who win. Happy are they!"
4.Jesus offers a very different message. Not far from this very place Jesus called his first disciples, as he calls you now. His call has always demanded a choice between the two voices competing for your hearts even now on this hill, the choice between good and evil, between life and death. Which voice will the young people of the twenty-first century choose to follow? To put your faith in Jesus means choosing to believe what he says, no matter how strange it may seem, and choosing to reject the claims of evil, no matter how sensible or attractive they may seem.
In the end, Jesus does not merely speak the Beatitudes. He lives the Beatitudes. He is the Beatitudes. Looking at him you will see what it means to be poor in spirit, gentle and merciful, to mourn, to care for what is right, to be pure in heart, to make peace, to be persecuted. This is why he has the right to say, "Come, follow me!" He does not say simply, "Do what I say". He says, "Come, follow me!"
You hear his voice on this hill, and you believe what he says. But like the first disciples at the Sea of Galilee, you must leave your boats and nets behind, and that is never easy—especially when you face an uncertain future and are tempted to lose faith in your Christian heritage. To be good Christians may seem beyond your strength in today’s world. But Jesus does not stand by and leave you alone to face the challenge. He is always with you to transform your weakness into strength. Trust him when he says: "My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9)!
RELEVANCE OF THE POPE'S HOMILY FOR OUR TIME
Not hard at all for us here on Voat to see why "Q" is directing us to the Polish Pope's beautiful homily.
There are two voices demanding our attention and two paths open to us all.
There is the voice of God and His Saints urging us to follow the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and to follow Jesus and "be poor in spirit, gentle and merciful, to mourn, to care for what is right, to be pure in heart, to make peace, to be persecuted."
Then there is the voice of Satan which contradicts the Beatitudes which says: "Blessed are the proud and violent, those who prosper at any cost, who are unscrupulous, pitiless, devious, who make war not peace, and persecute those who stand in their way". And this voice seems to make sense in a world where the violent often triumph and the devious seem to succeed. "Yes", says the voice of evil, "they are the ones who win. Happy are they!"
We are called to follow the former and make the fundamental choice to obey the Laws of God which requires a change of heart, a metanoia, to accept His grace and His assistance in following the straight and narrow path to eternal happiness.
This is apparently a decisive, INDEED, A PIVOTAL moment in the history of the world. Whom are we going to follow: Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or Satan?
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Kacey ago
It is a mistake to equate institutions such as the churches with Jesus. As soon as you have organization, you get hierarchy, as soon as you get hierarchy and the concomitant power it gives to some, the sooner you get abuse. Institutionalizing any teacher, Jesus, Buddah, whoever is a good way to neutralize their message. John Paul may have said good things, but did he sell all the possessions of the Catholic church and give them to the poor and take up his cross to follow the example of the life of Jesus? We don't need a homily on the beatitudes from someone adorned with gold and fancy clothes, we just need the beatitudes. They are quite easy to understand. If the poor are blessed then the catholic church and all the protestant churches should sell all they have and live as Jesus did. Sermons are almost always designed to give people excuses to not follow what Jesus taught. I grew up loving Jesus and his teachings but all I found in church was hypocrisy.
Gilderoy ago
Just one question: have you sold all you have and given it to the poor?
I'm not trying to be snarky, but most people would acknowledge that Catholic Church does a great deal to help the unfortunate. I don't agree with the US Bishops' terribly misguided protection of illegal aliens (for which they are handsomely paid by the US Govt) but there is no denying that there are many Catholic organizations which help the poor. Three outstanding examples from the tri-state area: Missionaries of Charity, the Friars of the Renewal and the the Sisters of Life.
Kacey ago
Gilderoy, I tried to live as Jesus lived. I spent time in Haiti working with Mother Theresa's sisters in their children's home. In the end I found I was not up to the goal I set for myself, to live like Christ. My impressions of the sisters is that although they were doing the work with the kids, they were really more interested in each other and getting points with god than they were in the kids themselves. I remember only one of them acting warm to the children. And while they lived simply they clearly lived better than most Haitians as indicated by their waistlines. I found after I could no longer believe that a powerful god who could act in human lives was a good god. I can't say if god exists or not, but the situation on the ground in the world proves that if there is a powerful creator god he is not good. The suffering I saw in Haiti of the innocents convinced me. I still admire the teachings of Jesus and still wish I had the courage to live that life of service and sacrifice but I have settled for living a simple life. I did service work as a Christian and service work as a non-christian. I have done Hospice volunteering, work with the mentally handicapped, homeless shelter volunteering etc. I don't own jewelry or fine clothes such as adorn the Bishops, Cardinals and Popes. I don't abuse children as so many of the priests have done. I have friends who are devout Catholics and Christians of other denominations. I have no problem with them. But I recall that Jesus attacked the money changers in the temple and I have no doubt that if he was here today he would take his whip to the Vatican, and all the other denominations which build their wealth on the backs of the poor. The Catholic church has been doing it longer than any of the protestants. They even had their own serfs in the Middle ages. Because some Catholics do truly good works does not pardon the Church for its accumulation of wealth, the Inquisition, and the overall oppression of the poor. Meanwhile a bunch of its wealth coming from the donations of good people is being paid out to cover the sins of the pedophile priests. I don't understand why catholics are not leaving the church in droves.
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/vatican_billions.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14036a.htm
http://www.wakingtimes.com/2017/08/03/much-wealth-vatican/
Gilderoy ago
Kacey, you have a very compelling story. I can understand why you feel like you do after what you've experienced. Very sad to hear about the way Mother Teresa's sisters acted. My own experience with most priests and bishops is nothing to write home about, but I have decided to stay with the Church because I love the traditional teaching of the Church and the traditional liturgy. That is what my faith and hope is based on---not the bad example of individual Catholics.
The good news is that very often you do find good, holy Catholics whom God sends into your life at key times. Whenever I'm most discouraged and want to give up, it seems like a sign of encouragement is sent so I keep holding on. Jesus didn't promise us that life as a Catholic was always going to be beatific, lovely and easy, but He did promise that His Church possesses the keys to the kingdom of heaven and that is what I believe with all my heart: that if I follow the laws of God and receive the Sacraments, by the grace of God, I will be saved, but outside of the Church, there is no salvation.
Either you believe that, or you don't, and if you believe it, nothing any person can do can shake that belief. I've always loved this verse:
"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Kacey ago
Gilderoy, I am sure you are taking the best from your faith and living out much more closely the life Jesus taught than many.
I have never, even in my Christian days, wanted eternal life. Sounds boring. I believe we return to the nothingness from which we came. I am not afraid of death and as old age adds new aches and pains I know that one day I will welcome death with open arms. I have seen so many Hospice patients do just that.
BTW I was raised Lutheran and even planned at one time to become a Deaconess. :) I did at one time enjoy the ritual, but preferred folk services. I wondered when I abandoned the last remnants of faith what would fill that place in my life. But for me life without religion has turned out to be much happier, more peaceful.
Gilderoy ago
Kacey, I know very well how "religion" can become a cover for vileness and corruption. So many terrible things are carried out in the name of "religion" and sometimes the most "pious" and "holy" people are the nastiest people you know. That is the perennial challenge: to know your Faith and love God and His law so much that, with His grace, you go forward regardless of the obstructions, discouragement and outright persecution. With God's grace, we carry the Kingdom of Heaven in our hearts and, if we persist and keep trying, we can begin to live "heaven" right here on earth. Our homes and relationships with others should be a spot of heaven. From the sounds of it, and all the good works and love you have for others, you are carrying the Kingdom of Heaven into some dark, lonely places. I daresay you wouldn't be on Voat if you didn't believe there was a better way, a higher plan for the world and didn't want to fight for the restoration of goodness and morality, which come from following God's plan for humanity. : )
Kacey ago
Jesus denounced the hypocrites eh? I will continue to point out religious hypocrisy when I see it. I see it big time with the Catholic church. I think Jesus would come and tear the whole institution down if he returned. Per Jesus you do not need the Catholic church sacraments to be saved. Basically he said "believe and be baptized" and "like as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren you have done it unto, come into the kingdom". The institution of the catholic church has been "selling" salvation including at one time selling indulgences (being Lutheran I was well educated as to why Luther split with the church). You may enjoy the liturgy and services but you do not need a priest to forgive your sins or the church to administer all those sacraments in order to be saved per Jesus himself. I believe that when I priest violates a child it is much worse than a politician, or even a protestant pastor. Priests give the sacraments which are needed for salvation according to Catholics. The stand above the flock as supposedly between them and God. When a priest does this to a child the damage to their psyche is far deeper and long lasting. I hope you as a Catholic are doing everything you can to be sure that all such priests are exposed and defrocked and punished by our nation's laws. I have no influence in the Catholic church or any church, but perhaps my comments can wake up religious people to be more aware of what their leaders may be doing. Too much reverence has protected these monsters for too long.
If God is all powerful he can just make us all good. If he can't and won't he is the author of all the world's misery.