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Quite a bit has changed over the last couple millennia. And some things haven't. One of the things that hasn't changed is human nature: which is good news and bad news, depending on how I look at it. I'd started writing about that, when my oldest daughter and I ran into an all-to-common opinion about religion. The narrator of a video we were watching said that religion was silly. Then he said something like 'isn't that an unforgivable sin?' The phrase is fairly common in English-speaking cultures. It's "Biblical" in the sense that it refers to a sentence in Matthew. Since I'm a Catholic, I do not think the unforgivable sin is using the wrong fork at a formal dinner. I'll get back to that. At any rate, here's my shorter-than-planned review of (comparatively) recent events, along with how I see sin (original, unforgivable and otherwise); and why Advent matters: Politics, Ideas, and Technology: 20 Centuries in 138 Words After th...

When I saw "Vatican" and "elegant demon" in my news feeds, I cringed. Just a little. But not because I feared that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were saddling up and the Antichrist was running rampant.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Finding a summary of what the Pope said.)

(From Ken Eckert, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) A year and three weeks ago, I started writing about Marlowe's "Faustus" play: "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus." Three months later, I'd finished three more. Then in May, 2021, "Faustus" moved to my mind's back burner; before falling off the metaphorical stove.... ...Last April, I said I'd probably look at Faust’s GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL," the prince of parma," and maybe grapes next time; so that's where I'll pick up. Taking those items in reverse order —... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Marguerite's garden in Gounod's "Faust," set design by Édouard Desplechin. (1859)) Christopher Marlowe based his "Dr. Faustus" on Germany's Faust legend, which was in turn inspired by Johann Georg Faust's reputation. And on J. G. Faust's abrupt death in 1520, give or take a few decades. Someone or something wrung Faust's neck. Or he didn't survive an alchemical laboratory explosion. Stories agree that he died abruptly, but vary on details. J. G. Faust had been a Renaissance con man of sorts, presenting himself as an alchemist, astrologer and magician. His reputation grew after his unpleasant death, inspiring a slew of chapbooks, plays, operas, ballets and video games. Gounod's "Faust" was an early Faustian opera, and I'm wandering off-topic. 1 Or maybe not so much.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Youtube video on the mystical realm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCoJW7byusI

Depending on who you listen to, Satan prowls Earth's surface, lives in the White House, lurks in Hell, or doesn't exist. About Satan and devils in general, I think C. S. Lewis made a good point.... ...I like most of Gustave Doré's work. That's his illustration for Canto XXXIV of Dante's " Divine Comedy ," Inferno .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

This summer the best vacation you take might well be with Fr. Driscoll's time-traveling priest!   Fr. Mike Driscoll is best known for his non-fiction work Demons, Deliverance and Discernment (published by Catholic Answers) but whose passion for the supernatural is found in his fiction book The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural .   Called by Catholic Library World as "well-written and compelling," The Father Capranica Mysteries  is excellent summer reading with each short story an entry into the strange and supernatural!        

Recently I was contacted by a young man who said he was very scared because he was experiencing demonic oppression.  He sounded terrified and didn't understand what was happening or what to do about it.   Now, normally we are called to be sceptical and not see the devil under every bush, but something about this young man's genuine fear pulled me more to belief than not.  I know that he could have had mental issues, or been just someone craving attention, but what he told me he was experiencing would dispel both of those theories.  TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

T he Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural  by Fr. Mike Driscoll is now available on  Kindle  and  Nook . Driscoll's fiction book is an excellent accompaniment to his non-fiction book Demons, Deliverance and Discernment. 

Who better to write about a time-travelling priest than a priest? And who better to write about the strange and supernatural than a priest whose doctoral dissertation was entitled   How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders ? The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange andSupernatural  by Father Mike Driscoll is the newest title at Bezalel Books—and one we are quite excited to offer! Always looking for a great fiction book that can also educate, Driscoll’s book hits the mark on all fronts. It engages, entertains and educates. Even if you aren’t drawn to the strange and supernatural—but especially is you are—Driscoll deftly weaves these elements into 10 short stories that will draw you in to learn more, all the while resolving the strange and supernatural in a faith-based and satisfying way. The Father Capranica Mysteries is a great read and we’re honored to offer it in  paperback  and  e-book ...

Fr. Mike Driscoll's new fiction book  The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural  is now available. Delving into his dissertation on Catholic exorcism, Driscoll's  Father Capranica Mysteries  is sure to please fans and those curious about the "strange and supernatural."  Fr. Mike Driscoll is a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, IL.  He was ordained in 1992; has been pastor of several parishes; and is currently serving as chaplain of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Ottawa, IL.  He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Moral Theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University.   His doctoral dissertation is entitled “How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders.”  His non-fiction book on the subject of spirit possession, Demons, Deliverance, and Discernment, is p...

Judas Iscariot , a name synonymous with betrayal.   But the question that everyone wants the answer to is "why?"   There have been many theories over the centuries, to which I will add my own.   I think Judas thought he had it all figured out.  He was going to be the big hero of Jesus' Ministry and get the ball rolling.  The motive wasn't the money, the money was just the means to bankroll what he thought was going to happen.   He had it planned so perfectly.  TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

So much happens at one Holy Mass, that it would take more words than exist to explain it. There is only one place on the earth where the heavens are opened and a human has direct access to the very throne of God for his or her petition.....this is the Holy Mass. The Saints are in attendance, looking down from heaven, so happy that the Holy Mass is being offered for us. I have seen the saints looking down from heaven, smiling, so happy for us.    I have seen.. .CLICK HERE!

Someone was very adamant that I should watch "The Dead Files".  I will be honest, I used to have an interest in these types of shows, but not anymore.  My eyes have been opened, but eyes being opened to the truth do not good unless we speak that truth. ... .CLICK HERE FOR MORE!

Storm the Gates (Part 2) NOTE:  The following of what you are about to read, is for your discernment.  I do not ask nor require anyone's belief.  Also, God did everything in what I am about to tell you, I only asked.  Even in the asking, God gave me the breath to speak it, the will to ask it, so really He did it all.  I am only writing this now because I was told to write, and write I will.   To Find Out What Happened During My Prayer on the 11th Station, CLICK HERE.

The Biblical story of Tobit's marriage to Sarah, whose previous seven husbands had been slain by demons, has been cleverly reimagined in a new novel (released April 2014 by Ignatius Press) called  Tobit's Dog , by Michael N. Richard. The novel is set in the backwoods of Depression-era North Carolina. The plight of blacks in the Jim Crow South parallels the plight of the 7th- and 8th-century Jews during the time of wars, deportations, and exile that formed the backdrop for the Biblical tale of Tobit. Tobit's Dog  combines elements of a young man's journey into adulthood, a love story, and a murder mystery. Tobias must collect a debt due to his blind and poverty-stricken father, lift the cloud of scandal from his bride-to-be Sarah, and discover who killed Sarah's former fiancés.The novel's plot closely follows the Bible story, with the character Ace Redbone (i.e., the Archangel Raphael) safely delivering Tobias, the son of Tobit, to meet his wife-to-be, his d...

A demons whole job is to trick you.  There whole existence is to  deceive you into breaking the law of God and being with them in all eternity in Hell and Damnation.  We, as children of God need to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."  As such we must ALWAYS be on the lookout for the demons deceptions, for the evil one never sleeps.  When we die, there is the judgement.  We are taken before the throne of God and our life is presented to our Lord, our good and our bad.  And as we have served in life, so shall we serve after death.  For God is always good, and out of His love for us He will give us our hearts desires, so if our heart is evil then hell and the devil shall be our reward.  And if our hearts desire has been God and His goodness in our life, Our God, the Creator of the Universe shall be our reward.  For eye has not seen nor the mind perceived what God has in store for those that truly love Him. There ...