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ladykakata · 5 years ago

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Kill the Dragon, Kill the Soul: Why Daenerys’ Gaslighting Hurts.

It’s no secret that the ending to S8 has received a ... mixed response, to say the least. For the most part, Episodes 1-2 and to a point 3 were well received. Episode 3 had good moments, but felt lacking in certain areas, the battle tactics were panned as well as the overall lighting of the scene, and disappointment that the Night King was stopped at Winterfell (and Arya being the one to land the killing blow).

However, true disappointment did not fully reign until Episode 4, and Episodes 5-6 being a crashing disappointment for myself and many other fans, depending on what we were angry with in terms of writing. While I could talk about how much various characters were either butchered, rendered moot, or simply given nothing to do, I want to talk about the handling of Daenerys, and why in particular her gaslighting through the last 3 episodes in particular struck a nerve.

The Targaryen dynasty have a particular history with mental health issues, ranging from outright insanity, to more mild, and a lot of this is blamed on the incestuous marriage that the family practices to varying degrees of closeness, ranging from brother-sister to niece-uncle. Targaryens could be brilliant, or could be cruel, and a common saying is that ‘when a Targaryen is born, the Gods flip a coin’. It was also noted that Targaryen madness was a late-onset condition; Daenerys’ father Aerys was not mentally unwell at the start of his rule, but his mental health deteriorated during his reign. In terms of the last Targaryens, Daenerys herself seemed to be a coin toss. Her eldest brother, Rhaegar, was said to be kind, noble, and the very best a Prince should be. It’s unknown how he would have developed had he not been killed at the Trident, given his father, but nothing suggests underlying conditions. Viserys, the infamously golden-crowned ‘begger king’ was noted by Daenerys in the novels to not be cruel at first, but suffered declining mental health as years of poverty and struggle took a toll on him, and he began mentally and emotionally abusing his little sister. This manifested in delusions of grandeur, an explosive temper, and taking out his frustrations on Daenerys, culminating in his murder at the hands of Khal Drogo for both breaking the rules of Vaes Dothrak, but also threatening the life of Daenerys and their unborn baby.

Daenerys, at the start of the series, was a shy and timid young woman, afraid of her brother and her new arranged marriage. Over the course of the first season, she grows into her position of Khaleesi, learns self-confidence, takes control in her relationship with Khal Drogo, and asserts herself over her own brother. When he tries to physically assert his dominance over her, she is either defended by the Dothraki (via a whip to his throat), or directly (with a heavy gold belt to the face). The latter shocks Viserys deeply, and her own temper over his assault showing her own dragon’s blood for the first time. I do not think her coldness over his death meant she was ‘insane’. Rather, the way she realised that he was a pathetic, lowly man who couldn’t lead an army even if Khal Drogo gave him one was shown on her face as she translated for Khal Drogo. Viserys had threatened her unborn child, had directly threatened to cut it out to her face, and as such, she completely cut out this abusive figure from her life for not only her sake, but for her baby’s sake.

Daenerys feels strongly about rape and unnecessary violence. While she has the line ‘I do not have a gentle heart’, she did have one and does have one for the weak and the defenceless. From trying to protect women from Dotharki rape, to ordering the children be unharmed when she took over the Unsullied, she shows a clear sense of moral right. Even if that moral right puts her at odds with others (i.e. the Dothraki, who were clearly angry at being denied the right to rape, and the various Masters, whose slaves she sought to free). Despite keeping the pretence that she did not understand Valyrian to Kraznys mo Nakloz (the Good Master who sold her the Unsullied and was roasted alive by Drogon for his insults), she still tried to prevent him from cutting off the nipple of an Unsullied soldier when he demonstrated their fearlessness. While she took the Unsullied by trickery, she offered them the chance to be free, and gave them the right to change their demeaning names. Grey Worm, their elected Commander, chose to keep his and she respected his decision.

Essos is a land of might, not of honour and justice, at least in the eyes of Daenerys. For as often as she has tried peace and freedom, the more brutal Essos traditions often seek to undermine her and ensure that her unwanted changes are a temporary annoyance. When she pursues a more direct, violent path (personally burning down the Wise Masters’ forces when they attack Meereen in her absence), she has more success. After years of dealing with harsh and bloody retaliation for her seeking freedom for the downtrodden, her heart is hard when it finally reaches Westeros. Had Jon, and by extension, the entire North met Daenerys when she was still intent on freeing slaves, it would have been a smoother introduction. Weary of always being met with blood and insults, she was ready with coldness and asserting her authority to the humble - and very tired - Jon. Still, she was willing to listen, and measured her responses when needed.

Daenerys has done everything that has been asked of her since coming to Westeros, and has reached great feats. She reached an agreement with Yara Greyjoy, in exchange for naval experience, that she would allow a free Iron Islands, on the condition that rape and pillage was not continued. This is in keeping with her character, as rape and pillage was not something she tolerated well with the Dothraki, and she realises that the Iron Islands, with their superior naval might, could become the best traders in Westeros, replacing the uncertainty of pillage with steady and good trade. When she learns that Yara wishes to be Queen, but needs support in her claim (and Theon discounts himself as an heir), she sympathises with another Queen seeking freedom, and accepts the alliance. It could have been an exceptionally fruitful arrangement, had Daenerys either taken the throne or disbanded it in the name of the land governing itself in smaller portions under local rulership, ‘breaking’ the wheel’. This scene hinted that Daenerys would get rid of the Iron Throne and its poisonous thrall over the land, breaking up one seat for smaller governments, perhaps elected by smallfolk or even simply regional Kings. She gained support from Dorne via Ellaria Sand, and Ellaria’s words ‘weak men will never again rule Dorne’ suggests she was going to rule herself (it’s unclear; the Dorne plot is a sore point).

She was asked for Dragonglass. She gave it. She was asked to fight for the War for the Dawn instead of taking King’s Landing. She did so. She saved Jon’s life and helped in the Dragonpit meeting, even if it amounted to nothing and she could have simply burned Cersei right there and claim the throne. She fought personally in the Battle for Winterfell, along with her forces. She has done everything advised of her. She has put up with the snide comments of Sansa Stark and the North ...

And the result is that she is told she is mad, will be mad, will be cruel, will not share power with Jon?

FUCK. OFF.

The Targaryens are ruthless, this is a known point of the family. However, Daenerys tempered her fire with kindness, and is known to be merciful when called upon. Take advantage of her kindness, however, and suffer the fire. Being in the cut-throat world of Essos has made this a shorter route, since a woman can only be called a whore, a slut, and threatened with death and rape so many times before she stamps down her enemies. A firm but gentle hand would have been good for Westeros, and her known concern for the smallfolk would have, again, stood her in good stead. Orlenna Tyrell told her to ‘be a dragon’, and at the time I wasn’t sure if the Queen of Thorns was trying to sow Daenerys’ own downfall in advance; it seems she was warning her to fire first, and then heal with kindness afterwards.

The greater point is that she has never committed acts of savagery without provocation. She calmly listened to the Khals in Vaes Dothraki casually discuss raping her and dismissing her views, before turning on them, but again gave them a clear choice; submit, or die. When met with even more hostility, she calmly and desicevly fought against those who were her clear and direct enemies. Unlike Cersei, she didn’t slaughter the Khals without the option of submitting to her. And she didn’t slaughter anyone else in the crossfire either. Weight has been given to her execution of Randyll and Dickon Tarly, painting this moment as her turn to ‘madness’. However, this amazing post details the reasons why this logic is, quite frankly, bullshit and how she was more than merciful to a family that has turned more times than can be counted, and has threatened to murder a son and heir for simply being a ‘disappointment’.

For someone who is mad, only wants power, and will stop at nothing to get it, Daenerys sure does listen to others’ advice, disregard those whose advice is gradually getting worse, and put her own plans on hold to fight the War for the Dawn. Sansa Stark has been nothing but bitter and angry ever since Daenerys came to Winterfell, seeing the blonde Dragon Queen as some foreign invader intent on taking back Winterfell, and it takes Missendei to remind her in the crypts of the fact Daenerys is outside fighting the battle whilst Sansa hides down below with the bones of her ancestors. Yes, not everyone can fight, but the fact she chooses to spend that moment disrespecting their greatest ally, who more than doubled the forces of the living and brought two massive war machines in the form of Dragons, is simply a cunty thing to do.

Good to see Catlyn Tully’s blood is alive in her.

The fact she pushed the North’s agenda during what should be the fight for the dawn annoyed Daenerys, as it should. While Sansa not falling for small flattery was in-character, she should have at least found some common ground with Daenerys, least of all because this is her brothers’ girlfriend and their greatest ally for the moment. Since Daenerys already spoke with Yara about a free Iron Islands, asking for Northern independence wouldn’t have been out of the question, had Sansa waited until the fight was over and Daenerys was in the frame of mind about freaking the wheel. Disrespecting Daenerys, and being a complete bitch to her face, only hardened the Queen’s heart, and served to make it clear that Sansa would fight Daenerys for power, something Daenerys did not want. There could even have been the clean and clear solution of Jon, as King in the North, marry Daenerys, Queen of Dragonstone, and have a beneficial alliance that way. Sansa could rule as, essentially, Prime Minister under her brother, Daenerys has her ancestral seat and a home for her dragons, and the Kingdoms are free to choose their own rulers.

Episode 4 is where the constant and depressing gaslighting truly sets in. Daenerys feels alone and unwanted as the feast roars on, everyone praising just about everyone else besides her. Her dragon and her forces fought for these people, who only seem to care about Northern heroics and the feats of Jon. Not helping is the fact she has lost Jorah, and her circle grows smaller. Legitimising Gendry, though framed as a way to gain a new ally, spoke more to the idea that she was forgiving, and - in the same vein as Jon - was not going to blame the children for the sins of their parents. Jon felt the weight of his father’s supposed infidelity all his life, and Daenerys felt the weight of her father’s crimes on her shoulders. Pointedly, as Sansa brought up the death of her grandfather and uncle at the hand of Aerys. [Daenerys’ attitude towards Jaime does not factor in here; Jaime directly killed Aerys himself] Daenerys rewarded Gendry for his critical help in the Battle for Winterfell, and it was fully justified. It also served to show that she was merciful, and would reward those for their merit, not simply their heritage. Gendry has no real right to Storms End, but his cource and work justified the title, and he has become the new Lord Baratheon. Could he have become a new King of Storms? We don’t know; he might have been daunted by such a position, and she could have offered to share help with him or suggest he hire wise men to help him lead the land.

Begging Jon, however cringey it was to see a powerful woman beg, was a sign that she didn’t want to ahve evertyhing she was working for simply handed to soemone else due to the qualification of having a cock. This was something that any woman of nobility should have felt, and was a key point in Cersei’s bitterness over male preference in Westeros. She shouldn’t have had to contest the Goddman throne with Jon; he didn’t want it, she didn’t want this knowledge destroying their relationship, and most important, THAT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS. This is whyu I felt that Sansa was bitterly, horribly out of character for making such knowledge public knowledge; it came across as wanting to both be rid of Daenerys, and to get the North free as soon as possible. In any case, her sudden rush south is understandable, given how unwelcome she feels in the North, and how people already seem to be making moves to give the crown to Jon. She may have intended to ‘break the wheel’, but her plans cannot work if someone gets rid of her - very probably terminally - to place someone else on the Pointy-Ass Chair. So. ‘The snap’. The moment she took King’s Landing and the Lannister forces surrended, this should have been a perfect moment for her. She achieved her goal with minimal civilian casualties, Cersei’s forces are obliterated, she just has to capture the Lion Cunt herself. The ‘snap’ was so forced it was disgusting, the voices making it even worse. She has shown no signs of mental imbalance, aside from grief over the death of Jorah, Rhaegal and Missendei. The ‘hard look’ after Missendei’s death was one of ‘she will not surrender, she must die for the crown to be free’. It probably gave her memories of the crucified children, an attempt to scare her off and anger her when the Masters of Essos did not want her freeing their livestock (slaves). It does not justify Varys, Tyrion, even Jon calling her mental state into question. Every single season, prior to S8 Ep4, Daenerys was clearheaded, firm, hardened by Essos but possessing a gentle heart for those whom she considered downtrodden, innocent or vurnerable. She had absolutly no reason to start blowing apart King’s Landing; the smallfolk had not jeered her, they had not come to attack her, they hadn’t seemingly reacted much to her arrival. The awe her dragons invoke in people could have seen her welcomed, her near-bloodless (in terms of civilians) conquest could have sown the seeds for a fantastic start to her reign and dismantling of the wheel, before going on to free the slaves of the world. While she could have missed Missendei, and Grey Worm, she probably would have seen it a fitting reward to their years of service and loyalty, and even offered to visit and host them in her future home (Dragonstone or otherwise) should they want to visit her.

SHE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL.

But, no. Constantly told, without provocation, over and over again how she will grow mad and be a cruel tyrant, and have horrible writing force a snap at the sound of a bell, it was ripped away and she was cast as the final final villain for all of half an episode to justify Jon slaughtering her. A man practically coerced into murdering her, a man who has only ever murdered enemies, and knows the power and pain of being backstabbed.

And what was the result of the death of the Dragon Queen?

The wheel remains. The North is free only because the King is the brother of the Queen. The Iron Islands remains the Crown’s property. The Targaryens are now extinct. Everyone got a happy ending.

Except, now, the beautiful Dragon Queen. Gaslit to death, told she will be mad and bad like her father despite everything she has done to show she is merciful. Asked little in return for her terrible losses in fighting for a Westeros that didn’t care for her. She was betrayed, broken, and could only count on her son and her Unsullied.

As someone with a history of mental health issues, this is honestly a disgusting thing to see. I have personally been gaslit, I’ve been asked if my being impatient or angry is a result of my mental health condition, being asked ‘have you taken your pills’, being told about the suicide rates and self-harm rates associated with my condition. It makes you afraid, afraid of yourself, terrified despite a shown history of not behaving a certain way. It places a burden, a guilt by association, a guilt that your emotions are not justified because of your own brain. Can I not be angry at a late train, or must it be because of the irrational anger present in BPD? Can I not cut someone out of my life for being toxic, or must it be ‘splitting’? To see someone as great as Daenerys reduced to her family’s blood is disgusting, and goes against an ongoing theme in the show that you are more than your heritage (Jon, when he thought he was Ned’s bastard) or your past actions (Jaime, before the show killed THAT).

Long live Queen Daenerys I of Dragonstone, the Backstabbed, the Betrayed, the Slaughtered Lamb of Westeros.

Fuck Season 8.

#Daenerys Targaryen #Game of thrones #GOT #Season 8 #mental health #mental illness #gaslighting

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notapaladin · 4 years ago

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harmonic orchestra, the gen edition (pt 1)

yeah you know the drill by now, here’s the gen fills

AO3

1 (acatl – autistic)

His tutors all said the same things about him—what a smart boy, what a studious boy, he'll go far in the priesthood. Acatl supposed they were probably correct about that; he was smart, he was studious, and he threw himself into the rituals with a fervor that annoyed the nobles' sons who were only there for power. They didn't understand how he could ponder the codices for hours, how he could sit silent as the statue of Lord Death and watch the funeral pyres burn.

He didn't understand it himself, really; all he knew, in those moments when he contemplated the inside of his own mind, was that having it consumed by devotion to the gods felt right.

2 (teomitl & chalchiuhnenetl – a deal with the devil)

"I can give you the crown you deserve," his elder sister says.

Teomitl thinks of their brother on the throne, twisted and craven; he is no fit warrior, no fit Emperor, no fit conduit of Huitzilopochtli's power in the Fifth World, but to slay him and take the crown by force of arms would be treason, would no doubt sever the ties between Teomitl and the people who, somehow, love him.

But if he doesn't, Tizoc will twist and twist until he tears the Empire apart, and Teomitl's loved ones will not be alive to hate him...so he meets his sister's eyes, and nods his assent.

3 (acatl – awkward formal dinners)

There are many reasons for Acatl, High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli, to hate formal banquets—the heavy formal regalia, the noblemen not-so-subtly sneering at the jumped-up peasant in their midst, the certain knowledge that there is political scheming going on somewhere and it's sure to bite him in the ass just when he least expects it—but top of the list has to be the seating arrangements, because he is sharing a mat with the high priests of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc and he hates both of them to a depth unplumbed by any line.

When Quenami smiles his oily smile and asks how he's been lately, as though Acatl's forgiven him for the time he almost had him executed for treason, Acatl has to resist the urge to drown him in his own soup bowl. No matter how satisfying it would be, it won't help for long.

Acamapichtli sighs heavily as he meets his eye—Quenami is still talking, Southern Hummingbird blind him—and for a split second there is understanding between them. Though I loathe you and everything you stand for, that look says, I’ll at least credit you with not being Quenami.

4 (teomitl & acatl – well seasoned)

It's simple food—tamales stuffed with duck and chilies—but Acatl made it, so when he offers some to Teomitl...well, of course he'll eat it and be happy even if it turns out to be terrible, because he knows for a fact that it's been made with love instead of poison which therefore puts it miles ahead of anything the palace kitchen gives him.

"This is delici—"

And that's how he finds out that Acatl, unlike everyone else in Tenochtitlan and probably the world, has absolutely no upper limit on how hot he likes his chili peppers.

5 (acatl – relaxing)

His nieces and nephews are splashing in the pool, water spraying the air, as Teomitl and Mihmatini chase after them; Acatl doesn't worry, because he knows they'll be safe with those two looking after them. He knows the world will be safe, too; for the moment, he has nothing to do but relax and occasionally nibble a piece of fruit from the tray by his knee. It’s almost a foreign sensation, but not an unwelcome one.

Feeling warm in every limb—feeling, for once, content—Acatl closes his eyes and tilts his face to the sun.

6 (teomitl & acatl – if I didn’t have you)

Sometimes, Teomitl thinks about the man he might have become if he'd never met Acatl—proud to the point of arrogance, bravery turned to recklessness, no fit inheritor to even be considered for the throne—and he has to shudder in horror. One look at Tizoc (at his brother, gods, the thought sickens him now that they came from the same parents), at his excesses and paranoia, reminds him how close he could have come to falling. (It would have been easy. It terrifies him to think how easy it would have been.)

"You were the greatest teacher I could have ever had," he tells Acatl, and means it with all his heart.

7 (mihmatini & acatl – saying I love you without words)

"I ate," her older brother tells her, and Mihmatini sighs and rolls her eyes. She knows Acatl too well by now not to also know that his last meal was probably a full day ago, half stale, and not nearly filling enough for a man whose day job involves running across half of Tenochtitlan slaying monsters and dealing with the magical strain of keeping the world in one piece.

She sets a hand on his shoulder, keeping him firmly in place, and fills his bowl with a serving of the spicy grilled newts she knows he likes. "Eat something anyway."

8 (quenami – is that the hill you’re going to die on?)

The really funny thing, Quenami reflects idly, isn't that Acatl is still protesting his innocence—he's always been stubborn to a fault, and far too principled for his own good.

No, the funny thing is that Acatl, for some reason (probably because he, as a principled man, thinks others can be swayed by things like reason and logic) thinks they actually care, as though the results of the upcoming trial will be anything other than a foregone conclusion. Of course he'll die claiming his unwavering loyalty to the Empire, but it doesn't matter—he'll be dead anyway, and Quenami will never have to deal with him again.

The trial is in the morning. He can barely wait.

9 (teomitl – shadow of the crown)

He turns the Turquoise-and-Gold Crown over and over in his hands, tracing the intricate mosaic of blue stones with remarkably steady fingers. He thinks, distantly, that there should be blood on it—that his brother's passing should have stained it irreparably, even though Teomitl had, in the end, nothing at all to do with his demise. (He’s not sure who did. It might have been the She-Snake. It might have been any one of Tizoc’s enemies. It might even be Acatl, for all he knows—not that he’d mind if it was.)

The sun gleams on the metal, but when he finally sets it on his head he still feels cold.

10 (acatl – too tired to sleep)

He was tired down to his bones—no, past his bones, tired all the way down to every part of his soul—but sleep stubbornly refused to come. No matter how much he tossed and turned on his mat, no matter how much he desperately wished for unconsciousness, the room was too warm or his neck hurt or, for all he knew, the stars weren't in position for him to succumb.

Fighting the urge to beat his head against the ground—it wouldn't help, and would just make him sore in addition to his rising ill-temper—he rolled over again and buried his head in the crook of his arm until sunrise.

11 (teomitl & mihmatini – almost beyond repair)

He's standing in front of his wife, sword in the dirt between them, and he knows this can't ever be fixed—that he was too greedy, reached too far, foolishly thought it would all come together when the people he loved knew, knew, that it was falling apart.

Mihmatini meets his eyes, her own gaze absolutely furious, and asks, "Why? Why did—what in the gods' names possessed you to think this was all a good idea? Tizoc-tzin is unfit to be Emperor, that's true, we all know it—but for you to think to kill him—"

"He was going to kill Acatl." It comes out in a rush, without any prior planning or thought on his part, but it's the truth. Tizoc might be his Emperor, his brother, but he tried to execute Acatl for treason and that's not something Teomitl will ever forgive.

And Mihmatini, who loves her older brother as much as Teomitl does, stares at him for a long, long moment...and then she nods. "Understandable."

Maybe, Teomitl thinks, this can be salvaged after all.

12 (acatl – a moment’s peace)

The funeral was officially over, but the pyre still burned hot; it would keep burning until Coyolli of the Atempan calpulli was reduced to ashes, and then he and his fellow priests would see her remains interred. Acatl sat by the pyre, upwind from the smoke, and finally took a long, deep breath.

His work was not done, but the drums had stopped and the wailing of the dead woman's relatives no longer rang in his ears, and so—for the moment—he could rest.

“Acatl-tzin?”

Ah. One of his priests with a question. He closed his eyes, permitted himself a small sigh, and got to his feet again.

13 (teomitl & acatl – doing math in your head)

"Hmmm...let me see...our suspect was born on the third day of Izcalli in the year Five Rabbit, which makes him an…"

"Eight Monkey."

Teomitl lifted his head from the sheet of bark paper on which he was carefully and laboriously calculating the interactions between the civil and liturgical calendars, staring incredulously at his teacher—his teacher who, quite plainly, had just done some very complicated math in his head. "Acatl-tzin. How in the fuck."

"Language," he said, but he was smiling. "And practice. I can teach you that as well, if you'd like."

"Most people can't do math in their heads!"

14 (teomitl – unexpected forgiveness)

The cup of chocolate is bitter and spicy in his hands, and Teomitl doesn't drink. He can't—they're not safe, not really, not with Tizoc undying on his throne and him awaiting his chance to topple him. Even if it risks breaking their Empire, it will save them in the long run, he knows this...but he promised Acatl, he promised to give Tizoc time for his reign to stabilize, and he won't go back on his word. (He won't disappoint him, not again; he never, ever wants to see that look of heartbroken fury in Acatl's eyes.)

But when he smiles at Acatl...oh, Acatl smiles back, even now, even after he's fucked up so comprehensively that he's amazed the man has forgiven him, and suddenly the world seems just that little bit brighter.

15 (tizoc – from the pov of the villain)

He is the Revered Speaker of Tenochtitlan, like his brother and grandfather were before him—cities as far away as the Maya lands pay him tribute, and at his command armies rise and kingdoms fall. All should fall before him, for is he not Tizoc-tzin? Is he not the man who channels Huitzilopochtli's power in the Fifth World? The sun rises at the edge of his blade!

But he lifts the sacrificial knife and there is barely even a glimmer, while his brother—reckless, foolhardy Teomitl, who's too soft, who's gone and married that peasant's daughter and raised her brother above his rightful place as the lowest of the three High Priests—shines like Tonatiuh Himself by his side.

16 (acatl – good night, midnight)

The conch shells blare once at the turn of the night, the hour that separates one day from the next, and Acatl rises from his mat alone and in silence.

Alone and in silence he eats a meal of thin flatbread and (cold) roasted peppers, savoring the bite and the burn of them as they fill his belly. Alone and in silence, he bathes himself in cold water (cold as the peppers had been) and forces a comb through the tangles in his long, wet hair.

He doesn't let himself remember hot meals with his family, doesn't let himself imagine gentle hands rubbing his shoulders or tilting his head back to comb his hair for him. He is High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli, and here under the shroud of midnight that is all he'll ever be.

#obsidian and blood #acatl #teomitl #mihmatini #tizoc #quenami #chalchiuhnenetl #paladin writes stuff

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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HELL EXISTS AND WE MIGHT GO THERE

This article is based on a talk given by Fr. Marcel Nault at the Fatima Bishops Conference

When I am invited to preach, I remember the words of Christ: "the Holy Spirit will speak in you and through you." And when I think about the Apostles, I do not imagine them going from town to town with their computer, their microphones, their recording machine, their filing cabinet. They go and they let the Holy Spirit speak. Because it is the Holy Spirit that changes the heart of sinners, I put all my trust in the wisdom and the strength of the Holy Spirit.

I preach everywhere the message of Our Lady of Fatima. What will I preach? I preach what I think is the most important. I preach what is the most important teachings of Our Lord Jesus and when Jesus Christ came on earth, He came for one reason, to save souls from Hell.

St. John Chrysostom, a beloved Father of the Church, used to say and repeat that the Lord Jesus preached more often on the Catholic Dogma of Hell than any other subject.

Some people say it is better to preach on Heaven. I believe that the more a person meditates on that truth which we call Hell, the more that meditation produces many fruits of conversion.

St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictines, was in Rome and the Holy Spirit told him, "You are going to lose your soul." He left Rome and he went into solitude to meditate on the Holy Gospel. He meditated, prayed and did penance, and the Holy Spirit spread the word and people flocked to him. Holiness attracts souls.

Why do you think St. Augustine changed his life? Because of the fear of Hell. I preach often on Hell because the Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Mother asked me to preach on Hell and when I preach on Hell, you feel, you know, that I believe in the reality that we call a Roman Catholic Dogma, Hell.

Pope Pius IX, who gave us the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Immaculate Conception; Pope Pius IX, who has given us the Syllabus, used to preach and ask preachers to please, please, preach more often on Hell.

The thought of Hell makes saints. Curiously, saints are afraid to go to Hell. The Cure of Ars was afraid to go to Hell. St. Therese of the Infant Jesus was afraid to go to Hell. Saint Simon Stock, the Superior General of the Carmel priests, said that his monks were even afraid to go to Hell despite the fact that they were fasting, praying and living out of the world.

Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, appeared to Saint Simon Stock and told him: Don't be afraid anymore, I'm giving you Carmelites a special vestment; all those who will die wearing that vestment will not go to Hell.

I wear the Brown Scapular inside my vestment, and I have another one in my pocket because I never know when people will ask me to preach, and when I preach, I preach the Holy Rosary and the Brown Scapular.

Mary said, "Through the Rosary and Scapular I will save the world."

One cannot specialize and preach everything, but the Lord Jesus invited me to preach on Hell. A monsignor said to me, "Marcel, don't preach on Hell. People don't like that, you scare them." And in a very friendly way that Monsignor said to me, "Marcel, I have never preached on Hell and look at the position I have. I will never preach on Hell."

After a long silence, I looked him in the eye and said, "Monsignor, you are on the road to Hell for all eternity. You preach, Monsignor, to please the crowd, instead of preaching to please Christ."

When God sent prophets in the Old Testament, it was to remind the people to come back to the truth, to come back to holiness. Jesus came, Jesus preached. He sent His Apostles into the world to preach the Holy Gospel.

The serpent came and spread his poisons of heresy, and the Lord Jesus decided to send His Beloved Mother, the Queen of Prophets, to earth to destroy heresies. And it is written by the Fathers of the Church that the Mother of God is the hammer of all heresies.

On July 13, 1917, Mary came to Fatima as a prophet of The Most High to save souls from Hell. Our Lady lowered Her hands and suddenly, the three children saw a hole in the ground.

That hole, says Lucy, was like a sea of fire in which she saw the forms of humans, men and women, shouting and crying in despair. And she saw demons in the forms of ugly animals. The vision was so horrible that the children feared that they would die from fright.

And Mary said to the three children, "You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go."

Each time you say the Rosary, my children, do say after each decade, "O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Marcy."

Mary came to Fatima to save souls from Hell. The Cure of Ars, the patron of all parish priests, used to preach that the greatest act of charity towards your neighbor is to save souls from Hell. One day when he was hearing confession in a little church, the devil, in the form of a man, raged and screamed, "I hate you. I hate you because you stole from my hand 85,000 souls."

You Excellencies, Cardinals and we priests, when we come to the judgment, Jesus will ask one question. "I made you a priest, a bishop, a cardinal, a pope. How many souls have you saved? How many souls have you saved from Hell?"

The Cure of Ars saved more than 85,000 sinners. How many souls have we saved? When you read the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church, the Saints, you are struck by one thing: they all preach the Holy gospel of Jesus; Heaven, Purgatory, and they never fail to preach on the Roman Catholic Dogma of Hell.

Read the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church, all those priests, magnificent apostles of Jesus Christ. They all preach on the Catholic Dogma of Hell because when we meditate on Hell we become a saint.

I don't want to criticize the bishops, but it is sad for me to say that in my thirty years of priesthood I have never heard a bishop, my bishops or any other bishop, preach on the Roman Catholic Dogma of Hell. I suppose in India and elsewhere they do, but in America, we don't preach on Hell.

PREACH TO SAVE SOULS NOT TO PLEASE

In many dioceses I have often heard bishops recite the Rosary, but they decline to add the little Fatima prayer after each decade because "the people don't like that."

We are not there preaching to please the crowd but to save souls, to prevent them from going to Hell for all eternity. And I think the little prayer of Our Lady of Fatima given to the children on July 13, 1917, is more powerful and more pleasing to God than any kind of meditation. The meditations that we priests write down and pronounce, they might be nice, but after each decade do you know a meditation more powerful, more holy than the prayer given by Our Lady of Fatima? Please, after each decade, do recite it.

I preach often on Hell. My friends, you have received your catechism, you have received your gifts from God. For me, Jesus wants me, Jesus asks me, Jesus begs me, Our Lady of Fatima begs me to preach Hell.

There are many revelations that we can read in the holy books and some souls in Hell have spoken, given the privilege by God, to help us in our faith. And those souls in Hell say, "We could accept to be in Hell a thousand years. We could accept to be in Hell a million years, if we knew that one day we would leave Hell."

But no, my friends, we must meditate, not only on the pre-destination of seeing God in Heaven, we must also meditate on the eternity of Hell. I heard a priest in the charismatic conference with about 10,000 laypeople and 300 priests present. He was preaching, "My friends, God is love, God is mercy and you will see His Infinite Mercy at the end of the world, delivering souls from Hell."

What heresy! Yet his bishop did not remove his faculties, and he was allowed to continue to preach such heresy. With our little human intelligence we make a little "philosophic reasoning". God is love, God is our Father. How can a loving Father take His little Peter and throw him in to the furnace of Hell? Why that would be an insult to God, Who is love.

How many times have you heard that hypocrisy? My friends, Hell exists. Hell is eternal. I can go into Hell. You can go into Hell. And if God had called me to my eternal reward some years ago, I would have gone to Hell for all eternity, weeping, crying. Not for a million years, not for a thousand million years, but for eternity.

And in gratitude to the Most Holy Trinity, to Our Blessed Mother, I go to Confession every week, I recite my 15 Mysteries of the Rosary every day, my breviary, I wear my Brown Scapular, and I preach the Rosary and the Brown Scapular to everyone. I preach to bishops like I preach to everyone because bishops too have a soul to be saved.

The Lord Jesus has chosen us among men to make us priests for one reason, to offer sacrifice to the Almighty Father and save souls from Hell. When I preach at parish retreats, I always end with the preaching on Hell.

DEVOTION TO THE ROSARY IS A GREAT SIGN OF PRE-DESTINATION

I am not holy but I pray my Rosary, I wear my Scapular, I say my breviary, seven days a week. I say my Mass every day, I go to confession every week and I hope (I'm not sure, nobody is sure) to go to Heaven.

Nobody is sure unless they have a private revelation from God. Why not take all insurance Our Lady of Fatima has given us: "Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of pre-destination."

She has given us another insurance, "that anyone dying in this habit [the Brown Scapular] shall not suffer eternal fire."

If only one bishop among you would come to Fatima and go back to his diocese and beseech his people, "I am your bishop. I am here to save your souls from Hell. Please accept my teaching today, listen to my teaching today. Meditate on my teaching today. And please, my priests, imitate your bishop, preach on Hell."

If only you would do this, you will be doing the greatest act of charity of your priesthood, of your episcopal apostolate.

Preach Hell and Jesus will bless you, Jesus will forgive you your weakness, Jesus will forgive your sins if you do preach Hell. By preaching Hell, you are making a terrific act of charity because those that will hear you, they will believe, they will change their lives and they will go to Confession.

Saints go to confession, Saints go to confession! And those that go to confession frequently become Saints.

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Please pass this article on to others. Distribute this brochure at your church, among friends and strangers. Everyone should have a chance to read this most important message.

Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

#hell exists

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