Emerging from the crisis

JMJ

What is a crisis????

Simple Definition

a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention

Full Definition A

the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life <a midlifecrisis>

Full Definition B

the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)

Full Definition C

an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending;especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome <a financialcrisis>
a situation that has reached a critical phase <the environmental crisis>

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

By all of these definitions the Catholic Church has been in crisis for well over a hundred years. I know most traditionalists trace what they see as a crisis to the Second Vatican Council.

However, by way of analogy, the body of the Church has been infected with the Virus of Liberalism / Modernism / etc for a long time. The Church's immune system put up a valiant fight dispatching white blood cells, but eventually as with an aggressive virus, they were overwhelmed and the blisters erupted at the Second Vatican Council.

... and the blisters have been exploding ever since (Eponymous Flower)

Many cry in anguish and look at the Mystical Body of Christ rent with the scourges and nailed to the cross of our sins and say: This cannot be the Church of Christ. Just as many disciples said that Our Lord was not God.

We must no lose Faith as did the Apostles at the passion of Christ.

A bit of wisdom aptly placed by Tolkien into the mouth of Gandalf:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo."So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The Lord of the Rings

What are we to do with the time given to us?

It is to save our souls and those for whom we are responsible.

In reality, for most Catholics, it doesn't matter what is the Pope's latest fantasy (see link to Eponymous Flower).

It suffices to say that, objectively speaking, for the latter part of the 20th Century the Catholic Church has been governed by ineffective Pope's who have made a long series of bad decisions (yes I am being charitable).

Prayer

Following St. Alphonsus de Ligouri we need to:

... always have our mouths open praying to God, and saying: Lord, assist me: give me light; give me strength; keep thy hand upon me, and do not abandon me. (sermon XXVI)

St. Alphonsus goes on to say that we must do violence to God with our prayers and continually and importune Him with our prayers for ourselves and for the Mystical Body of Christ which IS the Catholic Church (Mystici Corporis).

He ends the sermon saying:

Hence the holy doctor exhorts us, "to seek grace, and to seek it through Mary, because she is a mother, and her prayer cannot be fruitless" - de Aquoed. When we ask her to obtain any grace for us, she graciously hears our petitions and prays for us; and the prayers of Mary are never rejected.

So prayer and unceasing prayer is how the leaders of the Church will obtain the grace to cure the Mystical Body of Christ of the virus' that have infected her.

That is the first thing we need to do ... pray!

Penance

The second is penance - especially in a world inundated with worldly pleasure.

Face it, most of us in the west have it pretty easy. Elsewhere in the world, say Africa, it is something to be Catholic and survive. Hence the reason for more vocations in the poorer areas where they really mean it when they say they're Catholic.

The same goes for the Traditional Catholic orders, where they maintain the same level of ordinations as pre-council.

Perhaps the Church needs to be persecuted for her members to buck up and act like Catholics.

Well, in the west the persecution is coming so, like it or not the west is soon going to do penance.

Then the Church will plant her feet on doctrine and stand tall in the face of adversity.

Just don't expect to have a lot of people standing with you.

Patience

With all this, it is simple that the virtue of patience will be necessary for all Catholics who work to remain faithful.

Organizations don't 'turn on a dime', and the bigger the organization the longer it will take to turn.

Hence, we need to be patient and not make rash decisions.

After 30+ years as a Traditional Catholics, I can safely say I've seen Trads make as many rash decisions as non-Trads.

Hence another exposition of my 'sig' Prayer, Penance, Patience.

Being in the west, I still need to work on the second one ... but be patient I'm working on it!

P^3

Auctorem Fidei

Can the SSPX be right about the Novus Ordo? Revision: Feb 11, 2013 On another web forum, I was engaged in a rather heated discussion about the documents of Vatican II.

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Is it sinful to attend the Novus Ordo (New Mass) - Is it Sinful to Not Attend the Novus Ordo on Sunday?

+ JMJ A non-SSPX Catholic is upset over the SSPX statements on not attending the Novus Ordo Missae. Ladies and gentlemen, what the SSPX, or at least its website editor, is advocating is a mortal sin against the Third Commandment. Unless the priest deviates from the language of the Sacramentary, the consecration, and thus the rest of Mass is to be considered valid. No one may elect not to attend Mass simply because abuses are occurring therein. Might I suggest that such absenteeism is its own abuse? The Third Commandment binds under mortal sin. Father So-And-So from the SSPX has no authority whatsoever to excuse attendance at Mass, be that Mass ever so unpalatable. Source:Restore DC Catholicism Well, this is interesting. First why does the SSPX issue this statement? Because it is sinful to put your faith in danger by attending a protestant service. It is likewise dangerous to put your faith in danger by attending a protestantized mass (ie the Novus Ordo Missae

Catholic Culture - The Edgar Schein Model Analysis of the Pre and Post Conciliar Culture

+ JMJ So ... I was thinking ... I've used Edgar Schein's (RIP) organizational cultural model (link ) in my research ... why not apply it in a comparison between the Catholic Organizational Culture - PRE and POST Second Vatican Culture? Of course, this will be from my own perspective, I'm certain that others will think differently. 😁 Also, apologies for a rather long article. Graphic: https://mutomorro.com/edgar-scheins-culture-model/ Below is a quick mapping of the cultural factors that I could think of. Since the Church is vast and composed of millions of Souls, it is necessarily a limited cultural map. Yet, I think it will still be useful to assess what has changed since the Second Vatican Council. Additional Reading: 5 enduring management ideas from MIT Sloan’s Edgar Schein | MIT Sloan Artifacts Artifacts are tangible and observable aspects of the culture being examined. All organizations have them. Walmart has their Walmart chant, Charismatics have their spe

Holy Ghost vs Holy Spirit

+ JMJ Something that always and I do mean always causes me to cringe interiourly is when non-Trad Catholics use the words "Holy Spirit" instead of "Holy Ghost". First, this is a natural response because of long usage of "Holy Ghost" as soon as I hear the word "Holy" in a prayer, my brain automatically is prepped to hear "Ghost" afterwards. This creates a short period of interiour dissonance (discomfort). Now the question I would like to ponder today is whether or not there is a difference and whether or not there is a right way vs wrong way.

Tradicat

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