Stand in the Gap
Rekindling the Faith
Dear readers,
I’ve been quiet for a while for multiple reasons, chief among these is discernment.
It was fascinating to me to read comments on the Butler inquest articles I published, to find that there are people out there who believe they can school me to ‘be a better writer.’ I don’t think that requires any further debate, but the past few months have left me curious as to what is coming next.
During these weeks of quiet time many obstacles have been dropped in my path and there has been plenty of turmoil, quite a bit of confusion and no small measure of isolation.
To explain it briefly, I believe that God has removed from my life much of what was wasting my time and that applies also to people. I have that double affliction whereby saying no doesn’t come naturally but also as a Christian I must help other people. Around Christmas I had a little epiphany on this front, reading and finally understanding that acts of charity should be conducted for those in need, so that’s been a good lesson for me.
Not fully reformed, as ever, I made another wrong decision lately in not attending the Divine Mercy Conference last month in the RDS on account of having committed to something else. God being ever patient interceded however, with a notification to my phone enabling me to watch much of the speakers’ content a You Tube channel.
There were two speakers I had a particular interest in, Exorcist Priest (and psychotherapist) Fr Pat Collins and Deliverance Minister and Derry girl, Roisín Doherty.
In this article I’m focusing on Fr Pat Collins because he used the words ‘Stand in the Gap’ in his (emotional) presentation and I believe that’s what many of us here on Substack and so many others around the country have been doing. We may not necessarily have achieved what we hoped but we stood in the gap facing dark forces and we told the truth.
I have an affection for Fr Pat Collins because I contacted him back in 2011 about something that many others might have found trivial. I’d come across a child’s toy for sale. In a petrol station. The toy was a Voodoo doll.
The doll came with a ‘How To’ manual instructing children to perform curses on kids they don’t like. It was creepy. Pat Collins was the only priest I could think of that might understand the effects of this so I tracked him down. Quite surprisingly, he took my call and agreed to be interviewed, which is unusual because so many priests politely refuse to engage with the media these days and readers should be able to understand why.
The story was picked up and published in the Irish Daily Star. The text is below for anyone interested but that’s not the topic du jour.
On Sunday February 23 last, five days before the Trump/Zelensky show down in the Oval Office, Fr Pat Collins offered a stark warning to the sold out Divine Mercy Conference at the RDS.
He spoke about a time of tribulation that could happen in the form of World War III. Not to be alarmist, but in light of what’s happened since I think it’s worth listening to what he says.
Fr Pat Collins gave two talks, the first dealt with ‘prophetic signs of the times.’
“This is what's coming across when you examine all the prophecies that are approved by the church. Firstly, an increasing number of people are living as if God does not exist. That would be true in Europe in particular but it's true right across the world. Secondly, a tidal wave of serious sin is sweeping our society and many others. Thirdly, the church is facing a time of purifying chastisement - it has already begun, when it will end and how it will end we do not know. Fourthly, secular society is about to undergo a time of humiliating tribulation. What form that tribulation will take is not clear but it is probable that it'll be World War III,” he said.
For the cynics out there, I encourage you to watch the actual footage, in which Fr Collins becomes emotional delivering his presentation. It is hard to watch this and claim that he is a liar, or a force of evil, when he is so affected.
It is interesting to me that so many observers speak of the issues affecting us now as ‘spiritual warfare’ but few are interested in what engaging in a spiritual battle requires. Fr Collins does not simply lament about or critique the current state of play, he offers a solution.
“We are engaged in spiritual warfare. A lot of people may not be aware of this at all but it is profoundly true.”
“We need people who will stand in the gap. Stand in the place of vulnerability and danger in the Church and in the World where the winds of adversity blow, where the jackal of untamed passion rules and where the enemy - namely the devil - enters under the cloak of darkness. I think the devil is very strongly at work in the world and actually is exploiting the weaknesses of the Church big time,” he said.
Fr Collins describes what is coming as ‘a time of darkness and repentance in the Church and the world’ that will in due course, ‘lead to a new springtime for the Church, one that was spoken about by many of the popes beginning with John Paul II.’
“It will be a time of spiritual refreshment and effective evangelization across the world,” he said.
He refers to a plea issued by Pope John Paul II in Limerick in 1979, who asked for ‘great and intense prayer for Ireland.’ Fr Collins asks, did Ireland take heed?
“I was reminded when I was writing this talk of something that St John Paul II said in Limerick in 1979. I always felt it was the most prophetic of his speeches in Ireland. He said, ‘Dear Sons and Daughters of Ireland, pray. I ask for a great intense and growing prayer for all the Church. I ask you today for a great and intense and growing prayer for all the people of Ireland. Pray that Ireland may not fail in the test. Pray as Jesus taught us to pray… lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’
“Did people in Ireland take heed of what he said? Have we? He said, pray that you will not be led into temptation but will be delivered from evil. Have Irish people actually avoided the temptations of the modern world? Sadly no. The practice rate when he was here was over 80%. It's now down to around 30% or even less in the country in general and around 10 to 12% here in Dublin. We have failed the test but the Pope's words were prophetic then and they're prophetic now. We need an outpouring of intercession on behalf of our nation and on behalf of our world that God will spare us,” Fr Collins said.
In his talk, he described a dream he had a few days before the RDS conference.
“A few nights ago I had a very vivid dream which disturbed me greatly. I dreamt I was at a big gathering like this … and I was down on the floor and I noticed that there was silence, nobody was saying anything and I thought surely to God we should be praising and thanking the Lord for all the gifts he has poured out upon us. I started praising God at the top of my voice and thanking him for one thing after another ….I thought the people would join in with me, but no, the silence continued, I was on my own. But I did feel the people were listening to what I said.”
“And then suddenly and unexpectedly the prayer changed completely and I went into the deepest, most agonizing, most passionate, almost frightening prayer of intercession. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. You know, there's one of the Psalms that says Out of the Depths I cried to Thee Oh Lord and in this dream I was crying out of my depths that God would save us from destruction and from World War III when billions of people will die. Spare us from war oh Lord, spare us from destruction, and I was frightened in the dream by how deep and passionate my prayer was,” Fr Collins told the conference.
Known for his gift of discerning prophecy, the Dublin based Vincentian priest is urging us to return to prayer, to pray for Ireland and a rekindling of the faith. He is urging us to unity – not squabbling, nor ego, nor cynicism, nor disillusionment. He talks about gathering the faithful, both Catholic and Protestant at Howth Head last year and praying and praising and calling for mercy. He has another such event planned for April 26th.
This rekindling is already underway. More than 4,000 people turned out for a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Derry on February 1st last, to mark the feast of Saint Brigid.
This Sunday March 16th, a similar event is planned for Athlone, the eve of St Patrick’s Day, the feast of Ireland’s patron saint.
“The Renewal of Ireland’s Faith Continues,” the narrator in the promotion video below says, quoting Saint Patrick’s prophecy for Ireland:
“That a light would shine from the north of Ireland and spread throughout Ireland, then engulfing the whole world.”
The procession in Athlone, will be preceded by 33 hours of Adoration of the Blessed Eucharist at Clonmacnoise, where Saint Pope John Paul II stood in 1979 and said:
“These stones still have a very important mission to play.”
We’ve had five years down in the trenches and now, as far as I am concerned, is the time to rise for the battle proper.
See you in Athlone.
Watch Fr Pat Collins speech 1 at Divine Mercy Conference here
Watch Fr Pat Collins speech 2 (as quoted above) here
Read Fr Pat Collins pre conference interview with the Irish Catholic here
Voodoo doll article written Jan 6 2011 and published the following day in the Irish Star. (I don’t think there is an online version)
A DUBLIN priest has condemned a new collection of voodoo dolls aimed at teenagers as potentially psychologically dangerous.
The Watchover Voodoo doll is a pocket sized key chain novelty product that claims to 'protect and inspire' those who carry it.
The dolls have individual identities that claim to weaken enemies, reduce the power of authorities and bring fame, fortune and power.
The manufacturer claims the dolls are 'just for fun' but 'not a toy.'
Phibsboro based Fr Pat Collins, author of a number of books on spirituality and psychology, said the dolls could lead to intense anxiety and paranoia among teens.
He said the dolls could leave vulnerable carriers open to evil spirits that could affect the personality.
"When people get involved in things like this, it has an unconscious resonance. It can bring about a tremendous amount of fear that can eventually put the personality off balance," he said.
Fr Collins said the company behind the product, John Hinde (UK) Ltd, was acting irresponsibly in aiming the dolls at the teenage market.
"This could potentially be very harmful. We have to protect children, these things can have detrimental effects," he said.
"When you rely on spirits other than the Holy Spirit, whether you accept the devil and evil spirits or not they will impinge on the personality.
There can even be need for exorcism and deliverance afterwards," he said.
The packaging accompanying the doll states:
"If by keeping one of these dolls with you it helps with any aspect of your life then it is a good thing."
The company declined to comment when contacted yesterday.
Ends
Good for you! That's so interesting. To be brought back to God via CS Lewis! You must be in for something special 💞
Just watched the video and I agree with with much of Fr. Collins' analysis. We are in a spiritual conflict, not a physical war.
Although I am by no means a prophet I believe we are passing through something. On the other side is Heaven but we have to go through Purgatory in order to get there.
Oddly, I don't think that any physical calamity that can happen will be as bad as what some of us went through during the covid nonsense. The quiet suffering endured by many remains unspoken and when I come across it nowadays I realise how dreadful that time was for some people: Christians and atheists alike.
I also believe that God does not ask more of any of us than we can give. So for those who have already been through the mill, the worst is over.