The Literal Rock

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Paul

From the Gospel for the Mass of Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Courtesy: USCCB):

And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter’s original name was Simon. Jesus changed it to Peter, derived from the word for rock.

Protestants who dispute the Catholic Church’s claim the Peter was the first Pope, or that Peter, himself, was the authority on which Jesus builtthe Church, often claim that it was Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus built the Church, not Peter, himself.

This completely ignores that fact the Jesus literally renamed Simon: “Peter,” his new identity is that of “the Rock,” followed by the literal declaration that it is upon this rock I will build my church. Not, the “Rock’s faith,” but, literally, “the Rock,” itself, Peter.

And we know that Leo XIV, the current person taking the role of Peter’s authority, is, in fact, Peter’s successor. Now? Recall in the Acts of the Apostles Peter gathered them all togethe to decide who will take the place of Judas. It seemed that the authority and position that Judas had, needed to be transferred onto someone else, because Judas was dead. His body was no more, and his soul had likely gone to Hell. (Strongly implied, although no explicit declaration has been made.) So, if the Traitor Judas needed to be succeeded by the Apostles electing Matthias, then most certainly did Peter.

If authority rested on mere conviction or declarations of faith, then anyone can assume the authority; which we see is presumed upon in non-Catholic Christianity; heretics are claiming aithority they don’t have and establish new denominations all the time. They don’t have anyone exerting any means to stop them.

But if authority rests in a person, it’s a whole other matter. It’s one thing to say that authority rests on some immaterial conviction which anyone can claim; but in a person, it’s different. If it rests in a person, then someone has to bestow or confer the authority on him. Where does the authority come from? The answer tell you. An immaterial conviction of faith can lead to “I can establish a Church based on my interpretation of Scripture.” But if the authory to lead a Church rests not in such a thing, but in the physical person (combined with their faith) then the authority has to be conferred. Authority of this kind is not naturally a part of the human nature, or else everyone can be Pope. (Authority of any kind is not naturally a part of the human nature, but some can be assumed by the person, others have to be conferred.)

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Our Lady of All Help

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Paul

Imagine being deaf all of your life and the first sound you hear is the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That is what happened to Jeanne Courtel, a 12 year old sheperdess who had been deaf and unable to speak her entire life until August 15, 1652, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in Querrien, Brittany, France.

Mary appeared to Jeanne , who was tending to her familiy’s flock of sheep. Mary appeared to her in a manner strikingly similar to how she would appear two centuries later to St. Bernadette Soubirou, in Lourdes, France. Jeeanne reported feeling the wind, and then seeing a beautiful young lady of about 12-15 years of age dressed in white. The first thing that happened was that Jeanne was cured of her deafness and inability to speak; for she heard the Lady speak:

“I choose this place to be honored. Build for me a chapel in the middle of this village and many people will come.”

The Lady continued, “Charming shepherdess, give me one of your lambs.”

Jeanne replied, “These are not my sheep. They are my father’s. If he wants to give one to you, I am happy to agree.”

The Lady pressed on: “Return to your parents and tell them that I require a lamb.”

Jeanne asked Our Lady, “But who will keep my herd?”

Mary replied, “Myself. I will keep your sheep!”

Jeanne returned to her parents who were astonished when the little girl told them, “A Lady came to see me, and she asked me for one of your lambs.”

The father, overjoyed at his daughter’s miraculous recovery, replied, “Ah, my daughter. Because this Lady has made you speak, we will give her all the flock.”

Her father asked Jeanne if the Lady told her who she was.

“She said that she was the Virgin Mary, and we need to build a chapel in the village so many pilgrims will go there to honor her.”

The father agreeably replied, “If this is true, we will ask the bishop to allow us to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary.”

The next day, Jeanne sees the Virgin again, who tells her: “I am the Virgin Mary. I chose this place to be honored. I want you to be built a chapel in this village. I want you to see the rector and ask him to work towards building a sanctuary for me here in Querrien.”

Mary also said, “To prove that the message that comes from heaven’s command, I tell you that you will discover a few steps from the fountain of Saint-Gal an image that was honored in ancient times.”

In the year 610 A.D., St. Gall had visited the region to erect a hermitage. He had personally sculpted a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, which was eventually lost when the chapel was destroyed. However, on August 20, 1652, it was found to be exactly where Our Lady said it would be: buried beneath a pond and in a miraculously preserved in excellent condition.

On September 11, 1652, Msgr. Denis de La Barde, the bishop of Saint-Brieuc, visited the area and was told all about the events. After investigating the happenings, he formally recognized the validity of the apparition on September 20th. He also blessed the first stone to be used in constructing the chapel. Construction soon began and it was completed in 1656. It was enlarged in 1759 to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims visiting the chapel.

Jeanne Courtel was entombed within the shrine after she died in 1703 at the age of 63. All in all, Mary appeared to her 15 times during the period of August-September 1652.

The title of Mary in this apparition in French is “Notre-Dame de Toute-Aide,” which in English is “Our Lady of All Help” or “Our Lady Who Helps in All Things.” It is also often known as “Our Lady of Eternal Aid,” which is nice, but inaccurate, as it gives theologians who prize accuracy and precision in such matters the heebie-jeebies.

Mary was known by this title from the Querriens apparition because it denotes her motherly care for people. Consider: Mary cured a young girl of her deafness and speech defect, without having been asked. Only a loving, tender Mother who loves her children so much would do this. That a statue was found, still in excellent condition despite being buried for nearly a millennia, also harkens to her ability to care for ‘all things.’

Sources: Divine Mysteries: Our Lady of Eternal Aid, Querrien, France, 1652

Miracle Hunter: Querrien, Bretania, France (1652)

Sensus Fidelium YouTube Channel: The Forgotten Marian Apparition That Foretold Mary’s Triumph: Our Lady of Eternal Aid

Sanctuary Our Lady Of All Help (In French, but translatable in many browsers.)

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The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Paul

For today, I am sharing with you the “The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood.” This version of the prayer is one of supplication for ourselves and numoerous other classes of people.

“The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood”

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the propagation and exaltation of my dear Mother the Holy Church, for the safety and prosperity of her visible Head, the Holy Roman Pontiff, for the cardinals, bishops, and pastors of souls, and for all the ministers of the sanctuary.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

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