Swine Flu, the Conspiracy Theory

Since the beginning of the year there has been wide publicity about the apparent threat posed to the human race by the 'swine flu' virus. Sensational and lurid newspaper headlines inform us of the latest statistics of deaths from swine flu, reiterated 'ad nauseum' in the media generally. We have had countless statements from Government authorities and medical 'experts', hospitals have been virtually placed on full alert in anticipation of an expected 'pandemic', schools have been warned by the Health Authority of their responsibilities towards the children in their care, sufficient amounts of preventative drugs have been manufactured and purchased at presumably great cost by health agencies worldwide, not to mention the extravagant use of face-masks and the like. Recently there has been growing evidence that most of the deaths allegedly caused by swine-flu, were in fact due to other quite separate and distinct medical conditions. It now appears that the hype surrounding the effects of this virus, has been totally disproportionate to the reality, which is that apparently the effects are less severe than the common flu virus which most of us are subject to every year. Of course there will be some people who sadly will die as a result of developing flu of whatever strain, but statistically this will constitute a tiny percentage, which does not justify the national and international paranoia which we have witnessed, and which to my perhaps cynical mind, appears to have been a calculated exercise by persons unknown, in controlling the minds and actions of millions of people, with the added bonus of fat financial profits for certain pharmaceutical companies. In our modern world 'conspiracy theories' abound, and I have to admit that I am rapidly joining the club. The 'media' is the weapon controlled and utilised by the 'conspirators', for after all, everybody reads the newspapers, watches television, listens to the radio, has access to the internet, and it demands no more than clever 'marketing' techniques to influence people in the desired way. Such influence and 'control' is brought to bear on every aspect of the human condition. Health issues, eg. population control, contraception, promotion of abortion, euthanasia, disease, etc. Economic and environmental issues, eg. influencing/controlling/directing the financial markets on a worldwide basis, viz. the recent global monetary crisis; multi-national companies, climate control, energy resources, etc. Education and morality- based on a combination of humanist and pagan philosophy; the attempted dumbing-down and obliteration of Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular, dismissing all that the Church stands for and has taught since the time of Christ, preferring instead to promote a one-world humanist religion where there is no recognisable Christ, no true Church, just a cosy set of rules and code of behaviour selected by certain men and presided over by Satan. This brief analysis is undoubtedly open to criticism and almost certainly over-simplistic, however before shooting me down in flames please spare a very few minutes to read the following post in 'Les Femmes-the Truth' - "Tuesday, September 8, 2009.
What's Worse? Swine Flu or the Swine Flu Vaccine?"
I have only recently come across this site and strongly recommend it. You will find a direct link on my sidebar (thank you Mary Ann Kreitzer). This lady has numerous posts almost daily, so be prepared to turn the pages back to 8th September. This article is a revelation and confirms my worst suspicions. (quote - "Debate continues over the possibility that swine flu is a genetically engineered virus....")

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'Pratum Spirituale' - by John Moschus - (translated from the Greek by Ambrose of Camaldoli)

There was a certain old man living in the monastery of the abbot Eustorgius, John by name, whom the holy Elias, archbishop of Jerusalem, would have set over the monastery. But he would not consent, saying, "It is my will to go to Mount Sinai to pray there." The archbishop would have urged him to be made abbot first and then to go where he willed. But when the old man would not agree, he was suffered to leave, promising that when he returned he would take on himself the task of ruling. So after taking leave of the archbishop, he hastened to take the road that he might come to Mount Sinai, and with him he took his disciple. He had forded the Jordan and gone hardly a stone's throw further, when he felt a stiffness coming upon him, and a little while after he was seized by fever. And when the heat of the fever so mounted in him that he could not walk, they found a little cave, and went into it to rest. But since the fever so weakened him that he could not move, in that cave they remained for three days. Then the old man in his sleep saw one standing by him and saying, "Tell me, old man, whither wouldst thou go?" He answered, "To Mount Sinai." he said, "Do not, pray thee, go hence." And when he could not persuade the old man, he went away. But the fever besieged the old man closer.
Again the night following, the same man in the same garment stood beside the old man, and said, "Why, old man, wilt thou be made to suffer? Hear me and go not hence." The old man said, "Who art thou?" And he that had appeared to him said, " I am John the Baptist and for this cause I bid thee go no further: for this low cave is greater than Mount Sinai. For here did our Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to visit us, many a time enter in. Promise me therefore that thou wilt make thy dwelling here and I shall speedily give thee back thy health."
And the old man, hearing this, gladly promised that he would abide in the same cave. And straightway he was made whole, and there did abide for the rest of his days. And he made the cave a church, and gathered brethren together. The place is called Sapsas. Beside it on the left is the brook Kerith, to which Elias was sent in the time of the drought, from the other side of the Jordan.'
(John Moschus was a monk from the monastery of Theodosius, in the solitude near Jerusalem. Around the year AD 602 he set out on a pilgrimage through Egypt, and finally to Rome, where he died. He was a 'romantic' and called his stories of the Fathers 'the water-meadow', or 'green pastures', dedicating it to his friend Sophronius the Scholar).

From 'The Desert Fathers' translated from the Latin by Helen Waddell
Published by Constable, London, 1936.

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'Thoughts from St Alphonsus for every day in the year' - compiled by Rev C McNeiry C.SS.R

'It is better and safer to act through a motive of doing the will of God, than with the intention of promoting His glory, because we shall thus escape all the delusions of self-love' (September 16th)

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us, and guide and protect our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

'Thank You Lord, for all our Blessings'

The average 'summer' in Orkney tends to be rather short, perhaps three or four months at best. This contrasts with Devon where we lived previously, where we could expect four to five months of 'summer' weather. When you consider that Stronsay is some 800 miles further north, perhaps this difference is not so surprising. This year has been one of the best summers since our arrival six years ago. From May onwards the weather has been generally sunny, initially rather cool but warming-up considerably in June, and lasting well into August with long, calm spells of warm, dry weather. As ‘parishioners’ of Our Lady’s chapel, Stronsay, served by the F.SS.R priests and brothers from Golgotha monastery, Papa Stronsay, it has been quite an eventful few months, for like it or not, and I must emphasise that we do like it, we become involved in one way or another, with various activities and events of the monastery. This summer, Bishop Peter Moran, Bishop of Aberdeen, stayed for a second time at Golgotha monastery where he met the five F.SS.R seminarians home on summer sabbatical from the F.SS.P seminary in Nebraska, USA. More recently Mgr McDonald and Fr Livingstone, from Buchie, Scotland, also stayed at the monastery for two or three days. This included the feast-day of the ‘Assumption of Our Lady’ on 15th August, when we had a sung traditional High Mass in Our Lady’s chapel, Stronsay, attended by the F.SS.R community and by Mgr McDonald and Fr.Livingstone. In the evening the monks had their annual bonfire celebrations on Papa Stronsay to which the people of Stronsay were invited. Something like fifty people attended, including the monks, which necessitated conveyance on the large boat ‘St Alphonsus’ to accommodate the numbers. The weather was cool and showery, but the huge bonfire, generous buffet, and warm hospitality more than compensated – definitely an evening to be remembered! During the summer we have been privileged to take part in a public procession of the Blessed Sacrament led by Fr’s Michael and Anthony F.SS.R, and the brothers, starting from Our Lady’s chapel and finishing at the old lifeboat station, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile. This may not seem far, but on that particular day the weather turned nasty, and it was a constant battle against the elements, particularly for Fr Michael who was carrying the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament therein, and for the brothers carrying the associated canopy, which continually threatened to take-off in the strong wind. The same group held another ‘devotional’ walk earlier in the summer, in honour of Our Lady and equipped with a large ‘Marian’ banner. The walk started at the southern end of Stronsay and finished at the old lifeboat station, a distance of about five miles. The weather was clement, in fact it was too clement for it must have been one of the hottest days this summer! I feel that many blessings were obtained and many pounds (in weight) were lost, and I am bound to confess that I could not have done it! There have been various visitors to Stronsay, including Fr Michael’s parents, whom it was a great pleasure to meet. Most visitors stay at St Cormac’s, the monastic guest-house on Stronsay, with very comfortable accommodation and self-catering arrangements, and about 8 minutes walk from Our Lady’s chapel. We have daily Mass in the chapel, always the traditional Latin Mass, as is the case at Golgotha monastery. Both Bishop Moran and Mgr McDonald celebrated Mass in this rite during their stay. We regularly meet the brothers on Stronsay, either at Mass or on their travels, or when they are working on the ‘Catholic’ or other of their many tasks. It is always very rewarding to meet and talk with the seminarians during their holiday, and please God, two of them look forward to their ordination to the priesthood in a year or so. One of the seminarians met with an unfortunate accident a week or two ago, when whilst working with one of the two horses kept on Papa Stronsay, he slipped and fell to the ground, the horse stepped back and trod on his ankle breaking it in two places. He was airlifted by helicopter (air-ambulance) to Kirkwall where he received treatment at the Balfour hospital, and his leg was set in plaster. He was allowed home after only two days, and this week the plaster was removed. I think the process was expedited as brother is due to return to seminary next week. Anyway he seems cheerful – as always I have to say, and all seems to be on the mend. For the monks, continually travelling between Papa Stronsay and Stronsay, must sometimes surely be, in common parlance, a ‘pain in the neck’. Certainly they would never admit this, but particularly when the weather is unsettled, with strong winds and fast currents, the crossing can be quite challenging - (admittedly I say this as a mere land-lubber!). Undoubtedly they have the special protection of Our Blessed Lady, the Saints, and their Guardian Angel, but they also have great fortitude and trust in God. Quite recently the engine died on one of the smaller boats, it was about quarter mile from the Stronsay quay, and the current was carrying it away towards some nearby rocks. The anchor would not hold the boat, so the four or five monks on board plus a civilian worker, had a few anxious and, no doubt, prayerful minutes before managing to re-start the engine and happily reach dry land! Such incidents are probably commonplace and no doubt taken in their stride by the monks, God bless them. We have recently had, new (to us) altar- rails fitted in Our Lady’s chapel. Apparently these came from a convent or similar establishment in Belgium or Holland, and comprise large dark, solid oak panels, carved with different devotional symbols i.e, Lamb of God, Divine Pelican, Wheat and Grapes, etc, etc. joined side-by-side and surmounted by a dark oak Communion ‘rail’, with gates of similar design joining the Epistle and Gospel side altar- rails. I think it probably dates to late 19th early 20th century, and it certainly is very beautiful. We have so much to thank God for, and indeed to thank Fr Michael and the F.SS.R community for. I have only touched on a few things that come to mind, and I have no doubt that there are countless other events and incidents that are not included here. Most of the events mentioned have been discussed in various posts of the ‘Transalpine Redemptorists’ for which a link can be found in my sidebar. These include many excellent photographs.

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‘The Sayings of the Fathers’
‘A certain brother while he was in the community was restless and frequently moved to wrath. And he said within himself, “I shall go and live in some place in solitude: and when I have no one to speak to or to hear, I shall be at peace and this passion of anger will be stilled.” So he went forth and lived by himself in a cave. One day he filled a jug for himself with water and set it on the ground, but it happened that it suddenly overturned. He filled it a second time, and again it overturned: and he filled it a third time and set it down, and it overturned again. And in a rage he caught up the jug and broke it. Then when he had come to himself, he thought how he had been tricked by the spirit of anger and said, “Behold, here am I alone, and nevertheless he hath conquered me. I shall return to the community, for in all places there is need for struggle and for patience and above all for the help of God.” And he arose and returned to his place.’
‘The Desert Fathers’ by Helen Waddell’
Published by Constable & Co.London. 1936



'Thoughts from St Alphonsus for every day in the Year' by Rev C McNeiry C.SS.R
'God wills us to be saved, but for our greater good, He wills us to be saved as conquerers. We have to live in continual warfare; we must fight and conquer. "The powers of hell are mighty," says St Bernard, "but prayer is stronger than all the devils." (August 22nd)

'Our Lady of Walsingham, convert our country. Guide and protect our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI'

'The Solemnity of The Most Holy Redeemer', and 'Westminster Abbey' by John Betjeman

Yesterday (Sunday) was the feast of ‘The Solemnity of The Most Holy Redeemer’, the Titular feast day of the ‘Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer’ (F.SS.R).

As Fr Anthony F.SS.R is away at present with several of the Brothers, daily Mass for the Community is celebrated by Fr Michael Mary F.SS.R at 'Our Lady’s Chapel', Stronsay. We had a sung Mass yesterday morning, beautifully rendered by the Brothers, in which Fr Michael preached an excellent sermon emphasising that special role of the Redemptorists to bring to souls a real awareness of eternity, with the realisation that each and every one must make a choice for good or evil, for eternal salvation or damnation.
His sermon reminded me of Christ’s words concerning the way to heaven, ‘Enter ye by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter thereby. But narrow is the gate and close the way that leadeth to life, and few are they that find it.’(Mathew 7:13)
In his sermon Fr Michael used the analogy of the famous French tight-rope walker, Charles Blondin, who in 1859 crossed the Niagara Falls on a tight-rope, the first of seventeen crossings in all, on one occasion even stopping at one point to cook and eat a meal. Such achievements required a total focus of mind and body on the job in hand, which if found wanting would have resulted in certain death. Fr Michael also mentioned the experience of St Francis of Assissi, who as a young man and before consecrating his life to God, went into the mountains to pray and had a vision of his soul as a tiny bird, fluttering between the light of Heaven above and the fires of Hell below, the way of God or the way of the world. Fr Michael also reminded us of the words of St Thomas More to his wife Alice, when she visited him in prison shortly before his execution. Alice begged her husband to agree to the King’s demands, suggesting among other enticements, 'another possible twenty years of life', to which he replied ‘Dear Alice, what is twenty years compared with eternity? Indeed what is twenty thousand years?’
Fr Michael’s sermon, with its emphasis on the Redemptorist mission, was particularly directed to the F.SS.R Brothers, especially the seminarians currently on summer vacation, but it also had a certain resonance for me.
As I get older it has become ever more clear to me that no-one can enter Heaven by chance, it is only possible by the Grace of God and by living our life in accordance with God's Laws and those of His Church. It is not possible to be half-hearted or luke-warm in our choice, and to stay the course. We cannot resist the temptations of the devil, the world, and the flesh, without God’s help. For this we must pray and avail ourselves of the grace available through attendance at Holy Mass, receiving Holy Communion, and regular Confession. Of course we will fall far short of holiness, but we must keep trying and not allow ourselves to be deluded by the illusory delights of the ‘wide gates’ and the ‘broad path’ which lead to eternal misery.
You may think it rather late in the day for me to be thinking like this, that I should have been aware of this reality years ago, and you are surely right. My excuse if it can so be called, is that with advancing years my thoughts turn increasingly to eternity. It is true that as a younger man, with a family and a job, time is at a premium, and I believe that Our Lord makes allowance for human frailty when we spend less time on our spiritual life than perhaps we could. In later life with reduced demands on our time, we have a real opportunity to put our priorities into perspective. We only have one life, there is no second chance, and after this the Judgement, with Heaven or Hell for ever. ‘God made us for Himself, and we will never be truly happy until we are with Him.’ From Christ's words it is clear that we will never find the narrow gate leading to Heaven, unless we deliberately seek it. If we do not focus our minds on this objective and actively aspire to it, and I address this to myself, we will not find it, and inevitably we will find that our comfortable stroll along that 'broad path' will lead us to Hell.


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I am rather fond of the poetry of John Betjeman, and quite by chance I have very recently been reading a poem of his entitled 'Westminster Abbey'. Much of Betjeman's work incorporates a gentle, tongue-in-cheek humour, often satirical but rarely cruel. Betjeman himself was of 'High Church' Anglo-Catholic disposition, and this poem reflects his opinion of the shallow spirituality of so many, even those who 'pray' in the grandeur of Westminster Abbey. Please remember that this poem was written nearly 70 years ago at the beginning of World War Two, the horrors of which undoubtedly coloured Betjeman's views at that time, as it did all those who lived through those years. In 'Westminster Abbey' is there not some affinity between the self-centred 'spirituality' suggested therein, and that all too evident on the 'broad path' to perdition?

In Westminster Abbey

Let me take this other glove off
As the vox humana swells
And the beauteous fields of Eden
Bask beneath the Abbey bells
Here, where England's statesmen lie,
Listen to a lady's cry.

Gracious Lord, oh bomb the Germans,
Spare their women for Thy sake,
And if that is not too easy
We will pardon Thy mistake
But gracious Lord, whate'er shall be,
Don't let anyone bomb me.

Keep our Empire undismembered
Guide our Forces by Thy Hand,
Gallant blacks from far Jamaica,
Honduras and Togoland;
Protect them Lord in all their fights,
And even more, protect the whites.

Think of what our Nation stands for,
Books from Boots' and country lanes,
Free speech, free passes, class distinction,
Democracy and proper drains.
Lord, put beneath Thy special care
One-eighty-nine Cadogan Square.

Although dear Lord, I am a sinner,
I have done no major crime;
Now I'll come to Evening Service
Whensoever I have the time.
So, Lord, reserve for me a crown,
And do not let my shares go down.

I will labour for Thy kingdom,
Help our lads to win the war,
Send white feathers to the cowards
Join the Women's Army Corps.
Then wash the Steps around Thy Throne
In the Eternal Safety Zone.

Now I feel a little better,
What a treat to hear Thy Word,
Where the bones of leading statesmen,
Have so often been interr'd.
And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait
Because I have a luncheon date.

From 'Old lights for new Chancels' (1940) by John Betjeman.
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From 'Thoughts from St Alphonsus' edited by Rev C McNeiry C.SS.R

'The judgement sat and the books were opened.

There will be two books, the Gospel and the conscience. In the Gospel will be read what the accused should have done, and in his conscience what he has done. In the balance of Divine Justice, not riches, nor dignities, nor nobility, but works alone will have weight" (July 19th)

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Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for our Church, and guide and protect our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

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